In a world of quirks
by bluelove22
Summary: This is a series of Izuku-centric one/two/etc.-shots. Plots, characters, and relationships vary depending on the chapter/arc. Some features are: noumu!Izuku, abandoned!Izuku, hurt/healing!Izuku, fem!Izuku, trans!Izuku, and more. Enjoy!
1. Izuku is a noumu

AN: I do not own My Hero Academia or any of the characters.

First chapter: Noumu!Izuku Part 1. Focuses on Izuku's relationship with his classmates and teachers as a noumu.

* * *

To say the air surrounding class 1-A was strained would have been an understatement. It wasn't everyday a class of first year high school students had to deal with the aftermath of one of their own classmates being kidnapped, tortured _hurt_ , and experimented on by the League of Villains. Only the U.A. teachers and Inko Midoriya understood how it felt to have lost someone so important, to have had a treasured student, friend, and son go through something like their boy had. Recovery was slow and somewhat unproductive, the victim in question return the same yet not the same simultaneously.

Izuku Midoriya, for a better lack of words, was a noumu now.

No, he was not a creature black as tar with exposed brain tissue and fundamentally mindless. While his genetic structure was altered, showing definite signs of possessing new quirks, he still _looked_ like the ordinary boy that entered U.A. several months ago.

Save for his eyes of course. His brilliant green irises were still present, but the whites of his eyes were now black like All Might and Mina's.

Then there was his mental and emotional state. Cognitively speaking he seemed fine, but from the moment he was saved thanks to a successful hero raid it was obvious he wasn't all there.

When he was rescued he'd been unresponsive to the rescue team consisting of several pro heroes. All Might and Aizawa were at the scene once their student had been safely extracted, gently handed over to them by a giant Mt. Lady with a concerned look on her face. No one could get him to speak. He merely blinked while staring straight ahead, his obsidian and emerald eyes screaming in fear.

They rushed him to the hospital where Recovery Girl was waiting.

After finding nothing physically wrong with him, it was a matter of waiting until the boy's mother arrived. It was only when she entered his hospital room that he showed any hint of emotion, his body reacting for him by pulling the woman in for a desperate hug as soon as she'd reached his bedside. Still, his eyes had stayed wide open even as tears escaped them.

A week later, when they finally coaxed him into speaking, he told All Might to kill him.

 _"M-mom," he stated brokenly, his voice sore from disuse. The woman in question smiled, crying tears of joy at the word. Her boy was finally speaking again! "I love you."_

 _She threw her arms around him, hugging his now thinner body close._

 _"I love you too, sweetie. Oh, Izuku, my baby, I've missed the sound of your voice so much. I've missed_ you _so much."_

 _"I know." He hugged her back, his lips quirking up just a tiny bit. Everyone else in the room could tell he was faking it for his mother's sake. "B-but, can you leave the room for just a minute? There's something I need to tell the heroes that I don't want you to hear. Please."_

 _A flash of hurt flashed in her eyes, but it vanished as soon as it came._

 _"Sure thing, Izuku. Just holler when you're done."_

 _"I will. Thank you, mom."_

 _The moment she was out of the room, Izuku turned to All Might looking more serious that he'd ever seen him._

 _"All Might," he demanded, ignoring everyone else in the room completely, "you need to kill me."_

Aizawa had wished the boy's classmates hadn't been standing there behind their teacher to hear that. It only made his job of asking them to leave the room while they talked to their student so much harder.

 _"You don't understand." He'd whispered after listening to All Might and Aizawa tell him how they could not carry out his request. "If_ he _finds me, he'll order me to kill you. He'll order me to kill my friends, maybe even my own mom. I can't let that happen. I won't be able to stop myself though, and because of what_ he _did to me I can't even trust myself to be able to kill myself. The quirks make sure of that."_

 _Both of the teachers froze._

 _Quirks?_

It had taken two more full days to get a story out of the boy. Broken sentences that stated he'd been hurt, healed, tortured, and in utter hell around the clock before they finally decided to turn him into a noumu of some sort came to the surface. He admitted he got twitchy, lost his mind if he wasn't given an order every so often. He got even more desperate when he explained he would be hard pressed to ignore a direct order from Shigaraki from now on. It was visualized to be like a switch in his head that he couldn't turn off. He was terrified he would hurt someone because of it.

 _"They trained me to never ignore an order from my… master. If Shigaraki," he flinched, "ever orders me to do something I will have to listen. It's like something else takes over when he talks to me. I black out until whatever I was told to do is carried through, until I receive another order, or am told to back down. All other orders given by anybody else come second to him. I'm… I'm so sorry. I wish I had more control, but I don't I tried for days to resist. I really, really did."_

 _All Might could feel his heart breaking._

 _"My boy, what did he make you do?"_

 _Izuku closed his eyes._

 _"I can't remember. All I remember is waking up to another noumu's dead body on the ground in front of me one time. Other time I woke up in—" His breath hitched as his hands curled around his forearms tightly. He squeezed himself so hard his nails cut skin._

 _"Young Midoriya, you do not have to continue."_

 _Aizawa nodded in agreement. "He's right. Don't push yourself."_

 _The greenette shook his head._

 _"No. I need to say it, because I'll never be able to forget. I vaguely remember Toga Himiko ordering me around one night after Shigaraki grew bored with me. She must have told me to hold still, because I remember coming out of it as she sliced me up over and over again in her bed. It hurt so bad I screamed once I was able too, but by that point she just ordered me to do something else. After that I woke up in her bed hours later. I… I wasn't wearing any clothes, but…"_

 _A whine broke from him then. All Might cried freely as he watched his student stare at them in regret, embarrassment, and raw anguish. Even the usually cool Aizawa couldn't stop himself from punching the wall beside him so hard his knuckles split open. He silently paged for a nurse to assist him with the damage as All Might wrapped the boy in his arms and cried enough for both of them._

 _All the adults could do was silently vow to put those villains behind bars as soon as possible._

Nevertheless, despite how much Izuku wanted to be locked up so Shigaraki could never get to him, All Might convinced him to come back to school. Everyone begged to see him, wished to help him heal, and wanted to figure out how he could get past the changes he had no control over.

They needed to see him smile again.

In the end the only reason he said yes was because he had a couple new quirks that he needed to learn how to control.

 _"They gave me another form of shock absorption that turns any damage I receive into kinetic energy I can then store up," he explained to his classmates, teachers, and authorities separately. "I also possess some sort of healing quirk. Not full regeneration like the first noumu we encountered at the USJ, but I'm capable of healing from lacerations, burns, poisons, broken bones, and a few other physical injuries."_

No one had pushed him to find out how he knew those things. They already guessed the answer. He'd been gone for barely a week, yet the horror they had caused during that time felt like a couple of lifetime's worth.

There was one added comfort though. It came with Aizawa taking precautionary measures and having Hatsume from the Support Course make the invention Izuku had asked about upon All Might refusing to kill him.

 _"They're noise cancelling headphone-earmuff thingies, just like you asked for." The pink-haired girl reassured her recently rescued friend. "Once you put them on not even Present Mic's voice will be able to get through. I also installed that other feature you wanted. In case of emergencies where you think they might be taken off, just rotate either one of the circles on either side and the rest of the center piece will transform them into a helmet that can only be taken off with your verbal command of 'helmet off' or by me manually overriding it."_

Izuku had been so grateful he missed the frown on his friend's face as she walked away.

Moving back into the dorms had been tricky too.

 _"Aizawa-sensei?"_

 _"Yes, Midoriya?"_

 _"Is it okay for me to move my room to be the vacant one next to Kacchan's room? If anything happens I feel more comfortable having him right next door, and Todoroki would only be a floor above and Iida a floor below too. I feel like it's safer than me staying where I am now on the second floor. Not that Tokoyami, Aoyama, and Mineta wouldn't be able to handle me or aren't great friends, it's just…"_

 _His teacher cut him off with a sigh._

 _"If it puts your mind at ease then that is fine with me. Let your classmates or myself know if you need help moving your things, and I can go get you the other key right now."_

 _Izuku seemed as if he was going to cry, but no tears came out. This observation made Aizawa's stomach twist uncomfortably. Had he cried at all since he'd been rescued?_

They had also needed to come up with a code for when Izuku… relapsed. His psychological requirement to be ordered around was sickening, objectively speaking, because it was born from the experiments and genetic changes he'd undergone while captured. It hadn't been a huge problem during his hospital stay since he'd taken plenty of what he saw as orders (suggestions) from the doctors, Recovery Girl, his teachers, and mother as what he needed. Only after being released from his hospital room where people phrased things more as questions was when it had first happened. It had been horrifying to watch.

 _"Aizawa-sensei," Izuku was suddenly gasping. He'd gone pale and shaking just moments before, barely a minute passing before he recalled what his dependence felt like. "You need to tell me to do something. Give me an order!"_

 _"Midoriya, what are you—?"_

 _"Please! Just do it!"_

 _It was such an unreal experience that it had taken Aizawa a few precious seconds to realize what was going on. They had hoped he'd recovered from it after all the treatments and talks he'd been given. As a teacher he should have known just because the signs were invisible didn't mean they weren't there._

 _Aizawa did what he was told._

 _"Midoriya, please sit down."_

 _A flip switched in Izuku's head. His eyes glazed over suddenly, his body going ridged as he followed the command immediately. Once he was sitting it took several seconds for his eyes to go from looking far away to clearing back up. When they did clear back up he looked ashamed._

 _"I'm sorry you had to deal with that, sensei. I didn't…" He closed his eyes tightly, his lower lip wobbling but still no tears escaped him._

 _Forcing himself to unclench his fists in anger, the homeroom teacher made to comfort the boy. What else could he do during a time like this? There was no point in making a promise of it getting better; it would be as good as lying to the boy. Everyone was in the dark about the situation. Izuku Midoriya was a noumu now, plain and simple, but he was unlike any noumu they had information on. He was an anomaly._

 _Still, he was human too. Just a boy._

 _"Don't worry about it, kid. We'll figure something out. Did you know you'd have an attack coming, or was it sudden?"_

 _"I think I felt it start stirring in my head ten minutes ago, but it hadn't happened like that in so long I'd forgotten the feeling. It only really became bad when my muscles started itching for something to do, and my head started hurting. It felt like something other than myself was getting ready to panic, but…" He trailed off for a moment before whispering. "I think that was still me."_

 _"We'll have to come up with a code word or phrase for when you get that urge again. Do you know how often that happens?"_

 _"I'm not sure. Once a day maybe? Sometimes it's twice a day, but a few times it's none at all. Um, for a phrase, did you have anything in mind? If not, I think I have an idea."_

 _"And what's that?"_

 _"What do you need from me?"_

 _Aizawa seemed hesitant. "That's a bit too common of a question, isn't it?"_

 _"Not really. I usually ask 'What can I do for you?', so having 'What do you need from me?' be the phrase will mean if we're ever in a public situation it would be casual enough to not sound too strange. Also, it's something easy for the rest of the class and teachers to know in case that happens again."_

And so it was decided.

The concern about having been ordered into passing on One For All was also cleared up rather early on, Izuku explaining their tactic hadn't worked since he wasn't passing it on willingly despite acting as if he was. That had been a relief for everyone involved. The villains wouldn't be able to get their hands on that sort of power anytime soon.

That is, as long as Izuku never received an order from Shigaraki.


	2. Izuku is not okay (1)

AN: Second chapter: Touch starved!Izuku Part 1. Focuses on Izuku's relationship with his classmates and some head-cannons I had about him surrounding his anxiety among a few other things.

* * *

For a class full of heroes in training it was a wonder no one put all the pieces together beforehand.

Izuku Midoriya was many things. He was intelligent, hard-working, passionate, kind-hearted, and loyal for starters. While he did have a few habits that tended to weird others out, such as the mumbling and analyzing every quirk or hero around him before putting it in his notebooks, his relationships with his classmates (save Bakugo) were all positive ones. He genuinely cared about helping others just for the sake of helping, making people smile and keeping them safe top among his other ideals as an aspiring hero.

On the other hand, there were things his classmates overlooked.

If someone asked their homeroom teacher about said problem child, one of the first words to come out of his mouth would be "reckless". The boy was too quick to make decisions that would end in him getting hurt. His self-sacrificing mindset was only one problem though; among other traits, Izuku had an extraordinarily low self-esteem. One would think someone singled out by All Might himself would at least have some confidence in himself, which he did show from time to time, but it was obvious years of being put down normalized a low self-worth in his mind.

There was also the nervousness he displayed when people got too close to his face or touched him suddenly, his abnormally high pain tolerance, overactive tear ducts, sometimes stuttered speech, aversion to yelling, and more. All of these displays were passed off as part of his overall personality.

 _"Here come the waterworks again. Classic Midoriya."_

 _"Dude, your arm is purple and your leg is bleeding. Why did you keep fighting instead of going to see Recovery Girl right away? That has to hurt!"_

 _"Sorry, Deku! I didn't mean to startle you."_

They couldn't have been more naïve.

How else could they explain missing the obvious signs blaring at them for the past several months? Uraraka, Iida, Todoroki, and Kirishima were especially ashamed. The former three were Izuku's closest friends; Kirishima was Bakugo's out of those who called themselves the Bakusquad. The redhead still liked to think he was close enough to Izuku to know what his friend was going through. In the end, however, it seemed everyone in class 1-A was woefully inexperienced.

* * *

The observations had begun to rack up during the first few days of living in the dormitory.

Observation #1: Izuku hated loud noises, especially yelling.

"C'mon, Bakugo! Can't you take a little break from studying to play the latest Super Smash Heroes game that just came out? Kaminari got it today, and there are a bunch of new playable characters!"

The explosive blond returned Kirishima's enthusiastic shout with his own angry ones.

"First of all, hair-for-brains, I only play as All Might so I couldn't care less about them adding Morning Wood or Mt. Ass to the list of playable characters. Secondly, I'm not studying. I just don't feel like hanging out with anyone right now. Third and finally, stop pestering me. Go bother someone else."

"But we want you to play!" He whined obnoxiously, earning a few snickers from some of the other students in the lounge. "Please?"

"I said no!"

"Please?'

"No!"

"Please?"

"Go away!"

"Pretty please with chili powder on top?"

Letting out an enraged scream, Bakugo launched himself out of his chair and tackled Kirishima to the floor. While Iida quickly went to break them up, Tsuyu couldn't help but point out something she'd noticed during the entire exchange.

"Midoriya?" She questioned from where she sat with him at the next table over.

The greenette looked up from his notes innocently. "Yes, Tsu-chan?"

"I don't know if you noticed, ribbit, but you were covering your ears a moment ago."

"Oh. Um, I guess I was?"

"Yeah. They were being kind of loud," she gestured to Bakugo and Kirishima, "which is usual, so I was wondering if you had a headache or something. I have some earplugs upstairs if your ears are sensitive right now."

Izuku's eyes widened momentarily at the offer before he quickly opted for acting sheepish instead.

"Oh, I don't have a headache or anything! I'm just used to it being quiet outside of school. I was so at ease here that when they suddenly began yelling it caught me off guard." He found himself biting his lip. "I don't really enjoy loud noises," he admitted. "Shouting especially."

"Our classmates shout a lot though."

"They do, but it's usually in class or during a hero course activity. I expect it more in those settings. There's also nothing I can do but endure in those situations. When I'm at home though, I like being able to relax. Loud noises kind of make that hard, you know?"

Tsuyu nodded.

"I understand."

Observation #2: Izuku hated it when people snuck up on him.

"Midori!" Hagakure greeted, an invisible hand coming down on his shoulder just as he was made aware of her presence. While she was wearing her pajamas (aka not entirely invisible) she was still light on her feet.

Nearly jumping out of his skin, Izuku had to reign in his quirk before he accidentally hit something or someone. He still screamed rather loudly though.

Immediately the girl apologized, the hand on his shoulder falling back to her side slowly.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to sneak up on you."

"I'm fine, Hagakure-kun," the greenette assured. A shaking hand running through his curls said otherwise. "You just surprised me was all. There's no harm done."

"Are you sure?"

"Y-yeah. Anyway, see you later!"

Hagakure watched as he walked away, completely forgetting what she'd been about to ask him. All she could think about was the slight trembling of his fists as he turned the corner.

Observation #3: Izuku had an unnaturally high pain tolerance.

It was during an intense training exercise his classmates saw something that shook them.

 _"Koda, watch out!"_

All Might's warning from the communicator fell on deaf ears. The quiet student could only gaze up at the building about to collapse in horror. With the way Bakugo's explosions had blown out the supports it was already beginning to topple down upon him; there was no way for him to run out of the way of danger in time.

Throwing his arms above his head for some semblance of protection, Koda squeezed his eyes shut. Was he going to die?

"Koda!"

The screaming of his name was paired with two steel-plated shoes coming in contact with his side. Koda let out a gasp of pain (he was definitely going to be bruised later) as he was shot clear across the terrain. In the span of a couple seconds he was far enough away from the falling building to be out of danger, the scrapes and bruises forming from being kicked out of the way nothing Recovery Girl couldn't fix.

Izuku, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky.

All Koda and his classmates in the observation room could do was watch as the green of the boy's hero costume was buried underneath gray concrete and dust.

 _"Midoriya!"_

All Might's communicator was met with static from Izuku's channel.

At that point the exercise, which had been called off as soon as the structure of the building began to wobble, turned into the teacher ordering the students to run down to the exercise location to assist in unburying his student. The pro hero made a note to have a serious discussion with Bakugo later.

However, when the students and teacher reached the area they were met with the sight of Izuku holding tons of concrete and twisted metal above him. His body sparked with his quirk's brilliant white lightning as he made to push himself up from the kneeling position he was stuck in, but it appeared he was at his limit.

In an instant All Might ran to his student's aide. An account of his skeletal form he forced himself to wait while Kirishima, Sato, and Shoji began hauling the rock above Izuku off of him. Mina helped by melting some of the rock with her acid. Uraraka ran over to touch as much rock as she could so it would be easier to throw out of the way, Ojiro and a few other students taking hold of the now limited weight Izuku was struggling to hold and lifting it up easily. This allowed his the greenette to let go and promptly fall forward in exhaustion. The teacher was proud that a moment later Iida was there to retrieve his friend, Todoroki helping by creating more support via his ice so the structure would not fall right away when the other students let go of it.

"Midoriya," Iida spoke as he laid him down gently where their classmates now crowded around them. "Tell me where you're hurt."

Izuku blinked slowly, his head throbbing from where the back of it had hit the concrete before he was able to lift it up in a burst of strength. His entire body screamed in anguish, his side and knees sending hot knives of pain to his brain that made him want to sob. He swallowed his tears down though, instead pushing the pain from his mind so he could focus on making sure if Koda was okay. It took him a couple seconds for him to realize he still had yet to answer his friend's question. It didn't help that he had several pairs of eyes looking at him in worry either.

"I think I'm okay," he managed to say. His voice was strained. "I'm just… really tired. What about Koda?"

Yaoyorozu narrowed her eyes at him seriously.

"Koda has a few scrapes, but we're far more concerned about you right now. This is not the time to be lying for the sake of making us feel better. Where are you injured?"

The greenette winced. There was no fooling Yaoyorozu. "The back of my head hurts, my knees are bleeding a little, and there's a pain in my left side. Other than that it's just muscle exhaustion from holding the debris up."

"Thank you for being honest. I can make some bandages for your knees and head now, and we can bring you to Recovery Girl right away for your head injury. You might have a concussion. Before that, let me see your side. If there's a cut I want to bandage it, but if it's bruising there could be cracked or broken ribs in which—"

Her tangent was cut off when Izuku let out a wheezing breath of pain. Iida had been carefully ripping the side of the injured student's hero costume open since the zipper was caught underneath him and the suit was already damaged. All he had done was lift the fabric covering his side off the skin. Unfortunately, when he did that not only did he reveal a large bloody mess, but there was a gaping hole accompanied by what looked like bone sticking out of the glaring red skin of his side.

Several students screamed, All Might going pale as he stared at his protégée. Even as Izuku looked at the injury, his green eyes staring at it uncomprehendingly, Todoroki was switching places with Iida so he could run off to grab Recovery Girl himself.

"I promise it looks worse than it is," Izuku stated with an awkward smile. That didn't stop Mineta from fainting. "It is bleeding a lot though. Todoroki-kun, do you mind putting some ice on it? Just until Recovery Girl gets here."

"Are you sure?" He questioned. "It will hurt, Midoriya. Probably even more than it does now."

Izuku nodded. He was beginning to feel sick, the adrenaline fading from his body.

"I'm sure. Hurry, please? I don't feel so good."

Todoroki steeled himself to carry out the request. Everyone prepared their hearts for a scream, but surprisingly Izuku kept his lips firmly closed as the ice was applied. In fact he didn't make any sounds of distress even when he accidentally reacted to the sound of Iida's engines and sat up instinctively. His classmates' cries of concern were met with a weak grin.

Izuku had a literal rib sticking outside of his side, yet he was only blinking back tears.

Observation #4: Izuku was having nightmares.

It was their first movie night as a class when his sleeping habits were brought up.

"Look," Mina pointed at the couch the three founding members of the 'Dekusquad' (Uraraka, Iida, and Izuku himself) were on, "Midori's asleep!"

Beside her Kaminari craned his neck to see that she was right. Izuku was half sitting up against the couch while his head rested on Uraraka's shoulder. His eyes were shut, his mouth slightly parted as he breathed out of it, and he looked more at peace than ever.

Uraraka caught her classmates staring, so she raised a finger to her mouth to shush them while fighting off a blush.

"Don't be so loud. Let him sleep, okay?"

"That can't be good for his neck though," Sato argued.

The brunette rolled her eyes. "He'll be fine for a little while. I'll wake him up when everyone else heads upstairs."

"I agree," Iida added. "Midoriya seems to have had trouble sleeping since we moved into the dorms earlier this week, so it is best he sleeps when he can."

Kirishima tiled his head in confusion. "He's having trouble sleeping? Did he tell you that, or did you just guess?"

"I don't think Iida really had to guess," Tsuyu commented. "Midoriya has probably not talked about it, but it is obvious. He's been getting drowsy in class, his eyes are starting to get bags underneath them, and he's always awake before anyone else."

The redhead frowned. "I just thought he was doing some extra training in the morning."

"I think he's been having nightmares," Mineta stated casually. His other floor mates, Tokoyami and Aoyama, sent displeased looks towards the shorter boy. "What? I get you two might not have wanted to rat him out or whatever, but you both know as well as I do that something's keeping him up at night. I should know! I'm up all night for a normal reason," he winked at a few of the girls, who merely glared at him.

Tokoyami sighed. "He has seemed to be getting up throughout the night. I wished to keep my observations to myself for his own privacy, but perhaps he does need support. He was in the kitchen the other morning around two, and I'm pretty sure he's already out of his room by six when I wake up."

"He was showering last night at three," Shoji admitted. "I only noticed because I woke up to get a drink."

Aoyama threw a hand in the air dramatically. "I'm pretty sure I've woken up from my beauty rest once already because I heard him scream. Poor boy."

At this many of the classmates looked at the sleeping Izuku in alarm. Even Bakugo held himself back from snapping at everyone to stop talking and watch the movie; there was a twinge of concern that curled in his gut like a stomach ache. He wouldn't dare let anyone else know that though.

"Should we bring this up to him?" Uraraka found herself turning to Iida for advice. "I mean, he might not feel comfortable talking about it, but I don't want him to stay like this if there's something we can do to help him"

Iida hummed in thought, his eyes drifting over the soft rise and fall of his sleeping friend's chest.

"Perhaps we can turn in for the night a bit earlier than the ten o'clock curfew. Even if we do not go to bed, we can return to our rooms earlier or lightly suggest he get some sleep. This way we can do something while also giving him the time he needs to approach one of us about what he is going through. Simply asking him about his sleeping troubles might make him uncomfortable. It would be best to wait for him to bring it up to us; however, should the situation get worse then we will step in."

Uraraka nodded. "Great idea, Iida! Operation 'Help Deku-kun Rest Easy' is now in effect."

Suddenly an annoyed clearing of the throat was heard.

"Now that you losers are done yapping," Bakugo ground out at a normal volume, "would you just watch the damn movie?"

Observation #5: Izuku flinched a lot.

Mina sat with her back up against a tree breathing heavily. It had been her idea for the class to have a picnic outside since it was such a beautiful day, their first weekend living at U.A. having been blessed with great weather. A relaxing lunch had turned into intense games of red rover, tag, and now Frisbee (courtesy of Yaoyorozu). After playing hard for nearly two hours the pink-skinned girl was forcing herself to take a break. She'd worked herself into such a sweat she feared she'd start perspiring acid instead. Who would have thought Frisbee could count as high intensity exercise?

Stretching languidly, her eyes flickered to the greenette sitting adjacent to her on the very same tree trunk.

He had opted out of playing not to long before her. For the past ten minutes or so he had been scribbling in his latest hero journal, the sight a common one. It seemed he hadn't even noticed her presence he was so concentrated on his writing.

Her eyes moved to his hair. Since coming to U.A. he'd yet to cut his curls, the unruly things growing out of control as the months passed. While they looked adorable on him Mina wondered when he was planning on getting a trim. Surely he didn't want hair in his eyes? That would only impede his vision, so it made sense he'd cut it at some point.

 _I'm great at cutting hair,_ she thought to herself cheerfully. _We even have similar hair styles! I could totally help him out._

A smile split her face as she prepared to ask the question. However, instead of verbally getting his attention, she allowed herself to be a little silly and reached towards her friend's head. She wanted to see if his hair was as soft as others made guy's hair out to be.

The tips of her fingers brushed against the back of his neck in preparation of going up the back of his head. She halted in her movements though when Izuku stilled at her touch, his entire body going taught at the sensation of fingers on his neck.

"Sorry if I startled you, Midori." Mina quickly found herself saying. At the sound of her voice his shoulders slumped slightly, the tension beginning to fade over the next few seconds.

"I-It's fine," came the false cheery response. The stutter gave him away though. "I just, um, why are you touching my neck?"

Having noticed she'd yet to move her hand, she finally threaded her fingers through his hair experimentally. It didn't last long though, because she could tell by looking at her friend that he was tensing up again. She didn't need to see his face to know he was uncomfortable.

"Your hair looked soft, so I wanted to touch it." She admitted as she brought her hand back. "I should have asked first, huh?"

"Well, uh, I really don't mind? I was just distracted. You can touch my hair if you want to," he said the last sentence more softly.

Mina blinked at him slowly, but of course he was avoiding her eyes. There were a few seconds where neither of them moved. It was only after enough time had passed that Izuku looked over his shoulder quizzically that the girl lifted her arm. She watched in fascination as he tracked her hand like it was a potential enemy until it rested atop his head. What was he expecting her to do to him to look to apprehensive?

 _"Kacchan and I were childhood friends,"_ she suddenly recalled him saying. _"We had a falling out after he developed his quirk though. One thing led to another and he ended up treating me the way he does now."_

 _"He seems like he really hates your guts," Kaminari commented._

 _Izuku shook his head. "It feels like it sometimes, but I don't think that's it. I for one really admire him. Even if he was really cruel to me growing up, even if he still winds up taking his emotions out on me, I hope we can be proper rivals someday soon."_

One thing he'd said replayed in her mind.

 _"Even if he was really cruel to me…"_

Bakugo wouldn't have bullied him, hurt him that badly. Right?

Part of Mina twisted with sadness at her own answer.

A sigh brought her out of her thoughts. She found herself smiling as she took in the sight of Izuku with his eyes closed and head tilted in unconcealed bliss. Her fingers glided through his curls tenderly in a way a mother would play with her child's hair. Mina could tell by the soft, relaxed smile on his face that unlike earlier he was actually enjoying the touch now. When he began to lean into her touch she began to wonder how long it had been since he'd simply had his hair played with. Or maybe it'd been a long time since he'd received such a non-aggressive form of touch in general?

She continued playing with his hair as he dozed off, the fact he felt safe enough in her presence to rest making her lip wobble with emotion. None of their classmates in the clearing bothered them even as the afternoon turned into evening.

Observation #6: Izuku disliked bullies.

He had no idea who this guy's name was, but he knew for a fact his anger level was just under Bakugo's on a relatively average day.

"You're in class 1-A, right?" The nameless boy all but screamed at him. Around them students Izuku didn't recognize watched the scene play out in silence. They were on the first floor far away where the hero course classrooms were on the second floor, and that thought made Izuku wish he'd waited to stop by the library that morning.

The greenette gulped back his fear, instead putting on his usual friendly smile.

"Y-yes, I am! My name's Izuku Midoriya. It's nice to meet you."

He stuck out his hand for a handshake, but the stranger sneered at him.

"Pathetic. What was the school board on when they chose someone so spineless to get into their hero program? You're almost as bad as that puny grape kid."

Izuku felt his fists clenching.

"Don't talk bad about Mineta-kun when you don't know him."

Some people in the crowd made noises of surprise, the sounds making the angry boy in front of Izuku even more pissed off.

"Talking down to me, huh? That's all you hero course students do anyway. Thanks to one of your classmates getting kidnapped everyone here was more or less forced to move into the dorms here if they wanted to stay in school. Thanks to you guys I can only see my family for one day a week. The school's under fire again too! Just what do you have to say for yourselves, huh? I for one think you owe everyone affected an apology."

As he was yelling this he'd shoved Izuku into the wall, both hands balling up the front of his uniform as he glared hatefully into the greenette's eyes. At the feeling of being manhandled, the feeling so similar to what he'd felt his entire childhood, he felt his breathing pick up. Almost unconsciously his quirk activated.

Seeing the telltale signs of a quirk (lightning-like light visibly coursing through his body), the bully let go of him with a snarl.

"What, are you so above me that you'd just resort to using your quirk than apologizing to your peers?" Izuku instantly shut off One For All at the mention, the activation not having been his choice in the first place. "You don't even belong in the hero program. Everyone knows you only got in because you were born with a power greater than you deserved. A loser like you doesn't have what it takes to be a hero, so you should just—"

"Excuse me, but what the hell do you think you're doing?"

The stranger turned around to order the newcomer to back off, but unfortunately he noticed who the newcomer was too late to stop himself from speaking.

"Teaching him a—"

A moment later he was sent off to the principal's office to explain what he'd just been doing, the purple-haired brainwasher telling everyone else in the hallway to get a move on too unless they wanted to be ordered away. Once most students had gone their own way Shinso let his eyes rove over the disheveled hero student before him. His breathing was faster than usual, but thankfully it didn't look like he'd been sent into a panic attack.

"Midoriya?"

In an instant Izuku was looking up instead of at the floor. Shinso could tell he was a bit shaken up after the encounter, which made him frown. He had more than enough power to make any bully back off. Why hadn't he stood up for himself?

"Shinso! I, uh, thank you for doing what you did." He let out a shaky laugh. "I don't even know who he is, but he seemed to really dislike me because of my class. He caught me so off guard I really didn't know what to tell him in order to make him feel better."

"So you just let him berate you instead? The least you could have done was stand up for yourself."

"I don't like using my quirk outside of—"

"Quirk or no quirk you can always stand up for yourself," Shinso cut him off. "So why didn't you? We can discuss it on the walk to the second floor."

Izuku frowned. "But aren't your classes on this floor?"

"Sure, but after that I think I'd rather make sure you get to your classmates safely. We've got plenty of time until the bell anyway."

"Oh, well thank you!" They began walking down the hallway together as he continued. "Anyway, about your question earlier, I sort of have a hard time standing up to bullies."

"I'm going to cut you off there. You stood up to me before, didn't you? Throwing me over the line during the sports festival sure felt like it."

The greenette chuckled. "Maybe, but that was different. At school I was used to being treated harshly. Since I was four years old I'd been on the receiving end of name-calling, taunts, manhandling, physical violence, you name it. At first I tried to stop them, tried to fight them off, but I either ended up getting yelled at by teachers for telling them or hurt by the people I was trying to defend myself against. It's all just whatever to me now. It'd been so long since I've had to think about standing up for myself to anyone besides Kacchan that when that guy came up just to start shouting at me… I just sort of found myself shutting down and preparing for the worst. I hate bullies, but I would rather me be the target than someone else."

Shinso gazed at the shorter boy, scrutinizing him.

"For what it's worth," he began as he escorted the other student up the stairs, "that guy back there shouldn't have grabbed or yelled at you like that. I shouldn't have been a jerk to you back during the sports festival either. It's wrong for anyone to start wailing on someone because they're frustrated at the world and decide to take it out on someone who may or may not be related to what they're mad or upset about. That means you'll need to do more than simply get used to critics and jerks of the world, Midoriya. You'll need to be able to show them their preconceived prejudices are ill-placed and incorrect."

He took a breath before continuing. "I admire your heroic passion, you know. Your character is what will make you a great hero one day. That strong quirk of yours, now that you've got a handle on it, is just a bonus. But before you can be a hero to others shouldn't you be a hero to yourself too?"

Izuku was left speechless as they arrived outside the door to class 1-A.

"Anyway, see you around, Midoriya."

The purple-haired boy was almost out of earshot by the time he got a response.

"See you later, Shinso-kun."

Observation #7: Izuku often apologized for things that weren't his fault.

It happened just before curfew one weekday.

"Sero, could you grab the milk from the fridge for me please? There should be half a gallon left."

"Sure thing, Sato. You already got the cookies?"

"Right here. You're happy to have some if you'd like."

"Don't mind if I do! Let me grab some cups and I'll—"

Sero broke off with a grunt as he spun into Izuku, who had just walked through the doorway the same time as Sero stepped into it. With a yelp of surprise from the greenette the trio in the kitchen winced as the milk gallon and ceramic plate hit the floor; the plastic container broke open upon contact, and the plate shattered loudly. Instantly Sero and Izuku were stepping away from the wet, sharp mess, Shoji running in from the living room since he'd heard the sound.

"Well this sucks," Sero said sadly. "That was all the milk we had, and I managed to break a plate. Sorry about that, Sato."

"It's no big deal! My cookies are delicious with or without milk."

The tape-wielding hero in training nodded before turning to Izuku to apologize for running into him; however, he couldn't help but have noticed the way the greenette had put his arms up in defense when the items had fallen. Only now was he slowly lowering them, his bottom lip wobbling slightly as he looked at the mess.

"I-I'm so sorry!" Izuku stuttered. "If I hadn't walked in you wouldn't have dropped that. I'll go get something to clean this up with right away!"

"Midoriya," Sato stopped him in his tracks with the sound of his voice. "Shoji is already on it. Sero and I will clean it up no problem."

"Yeah. I was the one who wasn't being careful," Sero assured. "I literally walked backwards without looking, so I'm sorry for running into you."

Izuku's eyes darted between the two like he wasn't sure if they were being truthful. It wasn't until Shoji walked in a second later that he spoke.

"Okay, but I'd still feel better if you let me help you clean up."

"I'd rather do it, actually." Shoji suddenly cut in. "With my quirk I can extend my arms out to safely clean up the shards. It's no trouble for me at all as long as I can snag a cookie on my way out."

Sato grinned. "Thanks, dude! And no problem. I made two dozen."

Even as the mess was being cleaned up Izuku found himself feeling terrible. How could he not be partially to blame when he'd walked into Sero, making him waste the rest of his classmate's milk and breaking a plate? If this were Bakugo's house he would've been pummeled by now. How could he have been so clumsy?

"Midoriya?"

Someone tapped his shoulder, and Izuku flinched.

"Y-yes?"

Sero frowned, his face showing concern as he looked into the greenette's eyes.

"It's really not a big deal. No use crying over spilled milk and a broken plate, y'know?"

"I'm not crying?"

"Yeah, but you still don't need to look to crestfallen. Cheer up! C'mon, grab some of Sato's cookies."

"They're chocolate chip," Shoji added. "Highly recommend."

After a few seconds debating the offer, Izuku finally nodded. He stepped around Sero and Shoji to take the cookie Sato held out for him. A moment later his face was lit up with delight after taking a bite of the creation.

"Wow, Sato-kun! Your baking skills are amazing as ever! I guess with your quirk being Sugar Rush it makes sense that you'd…"

The trio smiled as he went off on a tangent about the quirk. They were all happy to see him smiling once again.

Observation #8: Izuku was self-conscious of his appearance.

"Whoa man, that scar is from the training camp?" Kaminari observed Izuku's arm in awe. They were in the locker room so it was easy to see the huge scar on the greenette's upper arm and shoulder. "That looks like it must have hurt! It's so ugly."

"Kaminari!" Iida scolded, Tokoyami among a few others sending disapproving looks at the blond. The electric quirk user seemed to realize his mistake even before Iida scolded him for his lack of etiquette.

"That was seriously rude of me," Kaminari said quickly. "I didn't mean for it to come out like that, Midoriya. I'm so sorry! I just mean it looks out of place on you, you know? You don't deserve to have a crude scar like that on you so early. We're not even out of school yet and you're already littered in them."

A monotone voice broke in then, a blast of cold air hitting the boys in the locker room out of nowhere.

"Bringing up people's scars in front of others is not respectful. Calling them ugly is even more discourteous, and I would ask you not do something like this again. If you have a comment about such a topic I would recommend you do it in private, or not at all."

Todoroki's dual-colored gaze burned into the blond before the boy left the locker room without another word. Most others who were dressed followed his lead, the only exception being Ojiro who was standing next to an embarrassed looking Izuku.

"Midoriya," he spoke kindly as the other quickly put on the rest of his hero outfit. "I don't think what Kaminari said was okay, but I think he meant that you are too nice a guy to have been hurt like that. What he doesn't understand is that scars show what pain we've overcome. He still sees them as a fresh wound, a reminder of the pain you must have felt when you received it. It's ugly to him because it reminds him you were hurt. I don't think he really thinks it's ugly, or that you're ugly, okay?"

Izuku was still frowning. "But it is ugly, isn't it? Just like my crooked hand after the sports festival. They are reminders, sure, but that doesn't mean they aren't gross to look at."

Ojiro sighed. "Do you think Todoroki is ugly?"

The greenette looked at him like he'd suggested Endeavor was a great father. "No! He's actually the most attractive guy in the class according to the girls. Personally, his scar is completely superficial. What matters is not the beauty of his face, but the kind person he is on the inside. He…" Izuku trailed off with cheeks pink as he got the picture.

"See?" Ojiro smiled while giving him a thumbs up. "You're an attractive guy yourself, you know. Scars and all."

Izuku smiled. "Thank you, Ojiro-kun. That means a lot."

"No problem. You believe me then?"

"Of course."

"Good. You shouldn't think about yourself so negatively. Anyway, let's head outside. I heard we're doing more rescue training today."

The two left together, part of Ojiro wondering if he'd imagined the lack of sincerity in Izuku's voice when he'd answered just a moment ago.

Observation #9: Izuku didn't have the best childhood.

It had started with an innocent bout of storytelling. After Kaminari mentioned the news that Universal Studios Japan got a new ride, Hagakure brought up the time she snuck into an amusement park in junior high.

"If the lines were too long I would just jump into the open seats of the rides."

Jiro nodded appreciatively. "That's hard core."

"That's illegal," Iida reprimanded.

Kaminari waved their class rep off. "Don't tell me you've never done something illegal with your quirk?"

The blue-haired boy gasped, affronted. "Of course not! I come from a family of heroes, so taking part in such villainous activities would be a slander to the Iida name."

Todoroki stared at him. "You tried going after the hero killer on your own."

"I, well, that was—"

"Illegal~" Uraraka sang.

While Iida pouted, Koda whispered something to Jiro.

"You guys have got to hear this," the music lover said with a grin. "Koda here told me he once talked all of the bunnies in a pet shop into climbing out of their enclosure and following him home. Apparently he really wanted a pet bunny at the time, and when his mom said no he tried bringing them along instead. The employees caught him just as he and his mom got out the door."

Everyone was shocked that the quiet, sweet Koda would have done something like that. They were even more surprised when Yaoyorozu raised her hand in the air like she was preparing to answer a question in class.

"I have to admit to something as well! Because of my quirk I can create anything I know the chemical makeup of to a certain degree. I was making gifts for one of my etiquette instructors when I was around six years old, which wouldn't have been that big of an ordeal, but I was so young I didn't understand how such a quirk could affect the economy. I just wanted to make her jewelry. It turns out after making her a golden necklace with various gems in it she asked if I could produce gold bars, which I did without thinking anything of because she was so happy. It wasn't until she was arrested an account of illegal quirk use that I realized creating any form of currency, precious metals included, was not legal except for very limited circumstances. Of course I didn't get in too much trouble since I wasn't aware I was doing something wrong, but…"

Stories continued to be passed around for some time, and to Izuku's dismay he forgot himself at one point in the conversation.

"Kacchan destroyed a lot of school property throughout the years with his quirk," he added with a smile when Kirishima asked him what illegal things Bakugo did. "Even when he was just four he used it to trespass areas too, blowing the locks to gates open and stuff. He honestly broke the 'no using quirks in public' law nearly every day."

"The class is full of delinquents," Iida cried dramatically. After wallowing in despair for a couple seconds he turned his attention to Izuku looking hopeful. "You've never broken the law, the Stain encounter aside, correct?"

Izuku frowned. "I was a late bloomer, so I never had the chance to break the law with it. N-not that I would have!"

Mineta leaned forward with a lecherous grin. "Oh really? Well, Midoriya, even if you didn't break the law back in the day you must have gotten into some kind of trouble in junior high. Tell me, did you sneak into the girl's locker room? Flip skirts? Steal panties?"

"Mineta-kun!" He reprimanded, aghast. "That's extremely disrespectful. I've never done something like that and never will."

"Not like he had any friends to do something shitty like that with anyway," Bakugo grumbled off-handedly from where he sat on the couch.

The greenette laughed off the comment. It was the only way to push away how much the truth of it hurt.

"Kacchan's right about that."

Uraraka became upset at the notion they were implying. "What are you talking about? You had to have some friends, even if Bakugo was being his prickly self at that time."

"Hey!"

Izuku ran a hand through his hair sheepishly, ignoring the blond. "I wasn't very popular, Uraraka-chan. Since my quirk developed super late everyone including myself assumed I was quirkless. Not many people wanted to associate with someone like that."

Aoyama made a noise of concern. "People are cruel to the quirkless this day in age, are they not? It must have been tough."

The smile on Izuku's face faltered for just a moment.

"Yeah," he finally responded, "just a little bit."

Observation #10: Izuku... expected people to hurt him.

Dinner finished not too long before the most painstakingly obvious sign something was wrong occurred.

Hagakure and Ojiro were doing one of their weekly chores which consisted of washing and drying the dishes used that night. Everyone else collectively decided to carry out their usual Thursday evening routines in the common area on the first floor, the school day having been a fairly lax one that left several students in sociable moods. Some like Koda, Sato, Shoji, and Tokoyami were studying or doing homework for Ectoplasm's class the next day at the tables. Others like Yaoyorozu and Todoroki were reading books for fun on one of the couches. Mina, Kaminari, Mineta, and Sero were engaged in an intense game of Candyland. Jiro lied back in an arm chair listening to her music, Iida and Uraraka set up on the floor in front of her going over past assignments in order to study for the test they would have Monday. Bakugo was doing something similar with Kirishima while Aoyama chatted with Tsuyu about different moisturizers to keep her skin from drying out on dryer days. This left Izuku to read the latest quirk encyclopedia he'd picked up at the library earlier that evening in peace.

Well, that was until Kirishima pointed out to Bakugo that he'd gotten a question wrong on their last hero law quiz.

"It was the only question I got wrong, shitty-hair." Said explosive blond growled at his friend. "Just look the stupid law up on your phone if you want to know the answer so badly. I'm sure it's not important enough to be on the test anyway, since he never grills us for the gritty details on stuff like this."

"C'mon, Bakugo. Doesn't it bug you knowing you only got one question wrong?"

"Nope."

"Well it bugs me. I'll go ask Midoriya what the answer is, since hero law is his strongest subject."

Bakugo narrowed his eyes at the mention of the greenette. Before he could protest though, Kirishima was already pushing himself up off the floor. Full of energy as always he practically jumped across the room shouting Izuku's name. He would have barreled right into the shorter boy if not for tripping over Kaminari, but the damage was already done.

Izuku heard his name being yelled, his body instantly tensing at the loud noise as well as the sound of rapidly approaching feet. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed a hand coming towards his face not unlike that of one about to sting him across his cheek.

His breath caught in his throat at the shock of being attacked while surrounded by people he usually felt safe with. Even as Kirishima fell and the hand dropped out of view, Izuku couldn't hold back the violent flinch that overtook him. A second later his book fell onto the floor as he threw his arms over his head protectively. He curled into himself then, not looking up even as several eyes turn towards him due to the commotion Kirishima caused. He was trembling, head down, despite Kirishima now standing before him looking incredibly guilty.

The redhead had known the greenette's childhood school life hadn't exactly been pleasant, but watching his friend trying desperately to make himself smaller just to get away from him sent a pang of sadness through his heart.

"Midoriya?" He tried, a few others watching the scene in confusion or worry. Todoroki's heterochromatic eyes followed every movement Kirishima made. "Buddy, I didn't mean to scare you. I wasn't going to hit you or anything. I'm sorry if it looked like I was."

Izuku slowly uncurled, his large green eyes filled with such vulnerability and anguish Kirishima's mouth was pulled into a frown. However, when he noticed everyone else around watching Izuku quickly sat up and rubbed a hand across the back of his neck with an awkward laugh. There was a casual, fake mask thrown up over his face that screamed he was pretending nothing had happened.

"Sorry about that, Kirishima-kun! You took me by surprise is all."

From the couch adjacent to him, Yaoyorozu raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure you're okay, Midoriya? You seemed to think he was about to hit you."

Kaminari made a noise of agreement. "Yeah, dude, and you know Kirishima wouldn't hurt a fly outside of hero training."

Izuku nodded, a false smile in place as eyes remained trained on him.

"I'm fine! I was just distracted, really. Anyway, I think I'm just going to head to my room for now. I need a notebook from there so I can work on my hero analysis."

Completely forgetting about his question, Kirishima watched as his friend grabbed the book off of the ground and left the common room. After nearly a minute passed Todoroki suddenly rose from his seat on one of the couches.

"Bakugo," he stated with poorly concealed anger, "what the hell was that?"

The blond in question shrugged, pretending he hadn't taken his eyes off of his notes to watch the scene in the first place.

"I don't know what you're talking about, half-n-half."

Luckily, Kirishima was just as upset as Todoroki.

"Bakugo, I'm with Todoroki on this one. You're Midoriya's childhood friend. Do you have any idea why he acted like I was about to pummel him?" His voice shook with guilt. "He looked so scared, man. I don't want to see him like that again. Especially not because of me."

The remorse in his voice transferred to Bakugo, who clenched a fist in frustration. He hated when the past he tried hard to forget was brought up. On the other hand, he hated it even more when Kirishima was unhappy. The redhead was his closest friend (not including his weird relationship with Midoriya).

Aware the rest of the class was listening in at this point, he lit a small explosion before ordering none of them to act too rashly.

"The nerd was picked on a lot growing up. He had no friends after he pissed me off when we were four, so until he came here all he had was his mom. Because of his stupid dream of being a hero while at the time believing he was quirkless he was bullied constantly. Came home with new injuries nearly every day," he commented nonchalantly. It was as if he was pointedly ignoring the horrified looks on his classmates' faces.

"Why didn't you stop them?" Iida questioned accusingly. "As an aspiring hero you would have known that sort of brutish behavior was not something to be ignored."

Bakugo grunted, but just as he was about to answer Uraraka cut him off.

"He didn't stop anyone from hurting him because he helped bully Deku-kun."

Kirishima came to the rescue immediately.

"Now Uraraka, I get that they fight a lot, but I don't think—"

"She's right, hair-for-brains. Stop defending me when you don't know a fraction of the crap I've done." He sighed, red eyes smoldering as they remained glued to the ground. "I was an even bigger asshole when I was younger than I am now, okay? I beat the shit out of Deku on a weekly basis. I antagonized him daily, made sure no one would be his friend, and said a couple things to him even someone like me regrets. My mom heard it from his mom one day that he's got anxiety when it comes to touch. Touch-starved along with some other bullshit I know nothing about. All I know is that if someone looks like he's going to hurt him somewhere he's supposed to be safe he'll freeze."

"That sounds like a type of PTSD…" Iida whispered worriedly.

After a minute of silence, Bakugo continued in a more subdued manner.

"Look, don't start treating him like he's made of glass because of this. Deku is one of the strongest people I know," he admitted despite the fact it looked like it pained him to do so. "He won't want you pitying him or belittling him after that. If you want to help him, then be your annoyingly friendly selves."

Bakugo wasn't off the hook. He was far from it, Kirishima vowing to have a long discussion with his friend behind closed doors. Those in the 'Bakusquad' were thinking along a similar line, and those close to Izuku retired for the night in order to research more about their friend's condition(s?) and brainstorm ways to help him.

Todoroki, for one, found himself calling his sister for advice. Izuku had saved him once. He wanted nothing more than to return the favor, even if all he could do was help even the tiniest bit.

* * *

For the most part the incident passes without too much fanfare. Nobody treats Izuku very differently (although everyone is more cautious of their movements in the dormitory the following morning), and nothing else has happened to alert his classmates of anything being wrong.

Something Todoroki did notice though were the scars Izuku had littering his body.

In the men's changing room everyone usually talked casually or averted eyes while switching into or out of their hero uniform. Eyes didn't linger on another person's form. It would be seen as rude to some, and to others a breach of privacy.

Today, however, Todoroki couldn't help but stare at Izuku.

 _Is that a burn scar his shoulder? Those scratches along his side look like they came from nails. The marks on his stomach look like he fell on top of a thorn bush rather harshly. Has he always had these many scars?_

He turned to Bakugo, who was listening to something Kaminari was saying.

"I'm going to help him," he found himself whispering as he pushed past the blond. "Everything you've helped create, I vow to undo it. Just watch me."


	3. Izuku is not okay (2)

AN: Third chapter: Izuku is not okay- Part 2! Continuation of Part 1, focuses on Izuku bonding with his classmates.

* * *

With helpful advice coming from not only his sister but his mother too, Todoroki set off on spending more time with his friend. To be completely fair it wasn't just him reaching out to Izuku. After what Bakugo had informed the class they were all doing little things to help their classmate. Mostly it was just showing Izuku that he could trust them. Not that he didn't trust them already, because he did to a certain extent, but trusting them with his life was different that trusting them individually in any day to day situation. And with Bakugo there was more damage to their relationship than could be mended at the flip of a coin.

Things were changing though, that much was obvious. It was because of Todoroki's drive to spend more time together with his friend that he was the primary witness to what was occurring. To the dual-quirk user the slow but beautiful metamorphosis that Izuku underwent was the most heart-warming thing he'd ever seen.

* * *

Izuku was studying with Uraraka, Iida, and Todoroki when Kaminari and Kirishima came busting into the lounge roaring with laughter.

"Guys!" Kaminari yelled while practically skipping with glee. "You'll never guess what we tricked Mineta into—"

"Excuse me," Todoroki cut him off with an icy glare, "but could you relay your story a bit quieter? There's no need to yell when we're all right here."

The electric quirk user barely needed to look over to register how on edge his screaming had put Izuku. He instantly brushed the observation off in favor for continuing his story at a much more appropriate volume. Kirishima noticed and flashed a thumbs up at Todoroki out of the corner of his gaze.

It was something so small, but the little things were adding up.

* * *

"You know you don't have to sit so far away from me, right?"

Izuku raised an eyebrow in confusion as he regarded Tsuyu. The fellow greenette was watching the news with rapt attention, her eyes not straying so see the confusion clear on her friend's face.

"What do you mean, Tsu?"

"I mean you're all the way at the other end of the couch when you could be sitting next to me. I wouldn't mind, ribbit. I usually cuddle up with whoever's around anyway because it keeps me warm."

"Oh, okay."

For a moment Tsuyu was convinced Izuku would just stay where he was. She could feel his hesitation from where she sat, the way he glanced around the room nervously to make sure no one was paying any mind to them plain as his appearance. After a few seconds though the girl felt the couch dip slightly as Izuku shuffled over to where she was. He settled down next to her so that their legs and arms were touching, going back to watching the news in comfortable silence together for several more minutes.

That is until she heard him yawn.

"Midoriya-kun," she stated seriously, "do you trust me?"

He seemed startled by the question.

"That's a bit random, but of course I do. Why?"

She patted her lap like she was trying to get a skittish cat to jump up onto it. "You seem tired, ribbit. Since you have the rest of the couch why don't you rest your head on my lap? I promise it'll be more comfortable than if you fall asleep on my shoulder. I wouldn't want you hurting your neck."

Izuku seemed frazzled by the offer.

"I, um, I'm not sure if… are you really okay with that?"

"I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't."

There was a long pause before Izuku reluctantly relocated himself. The weight of his head settled onto her legs, his face turned towards the television screen while his arms were brought forward in front of his chest. His knees were bent so that he could curl up on his side more comfortably.

Tsuyu let out a small croak of triumph, a small smile on her face as she noticed the tension leaving her friend's shoulders little by little. By the time fifteen minutes had passed his breathing was becoming dangerously slow. Another five minutes passed when she realized he still wasn't quite asleep, she gathered he wasn't feeling completely at ease in her presence yet. She knew he wasn't too far away from falling asleep completely though, so she decided it was time to pull out all the stops.

"Midoriya-kun?" She whispered.

The boy blinked up at her tiredly, eyelids heavy as he struggled to turn his head to look at her. His brilliant green eyes met hers.

"Yes, Tsu? If you need me to move just say the word," he yawned. "I'd be happy to."

She shook her head. "That's not it. Do you mind if I touch your face?"

His eyes widened at this, a blush ghosting his cheeks. It seemed like he was debating whether or not he should bolt. "T-touch my face? Why?"

Tsuyu shrugged. "It's something I do for my siblings when they rest on my lap. It's nice for helping them distress or relax so they can fall asleep. I thought you wouldn't mind."

"Oh, I see. That's fine then," he acquitted. He forced himself to get comfortable once more. Part of him was panicking internally, the entire situation becoming more stressful at the strangeness of it, but all of his anxieties vanished once Tsuyu began touching his face.

The soft pads of her fingers met his forehead gently, the foreign sensation not even making him flinch she was so careful. From there she moved her fingers down the sides of his face to his temples before massaging lightly. The pleasant sensation put him at ease instantly. He felt like he was melting. After a minute of that she switched to pressing lightly against the bones that made up his eye sockets. The nerves there responded to the touch by singing happily, Izuku not being able to stifle the sigh of content that escaped him.

"Feels good…" He slurred, his cheek rubbing against Tsuyu's lap affectionately for a single moment. She took it as a sign of appreciation.

 _He's like a housecat,_ she thought to herself.

She hummed back as she traced random designs across his face. The two of them stayed like this even as the news segment she'd been interested in ended, the boy in her lap fast asleep. She merely switched to carding through his hair when Todoroki approached her.

"He seems happy," he stated fondly at the scene. Izuku's mouth had slipped open and he was beginning to drool on the amphibious girl.

Tsuyu croaked proudly in response.

* * *

"What is this?" Izuku found himself mumbling in confusion as he noticed an unlabeled box on his bed. It was out of place for it to be mail from his mom, and frankly it was a bit odd of a time of year for gifts. The fact the box was unmarked was a bit suspicious. "This is U.A. though, so I'm sure it's safe. The security is reliable. Does that mean it came from one of my classmates?"

Curiosity getting the better of him, Izuku tentatively opened the box to find it filled with… notebooks? Upon further inspection there was also a package of pencils and colored pencils.

His emerald eyes shined with excitement.

"I wonder who did this? Whoever it was sure is—"

That's when he noticed it. There, at the very bottom of the box, was a notebook labeled "Hero Analysis for the Future 13.5" in messy scrawl.

"Midoriya? We're training with Shinso and Ojiro at seven thirty, correct?"

Quickly spinning around to face Todoroki, Izuku resigned to figure out what Bakugo meant by gifting him those things later. He needed to help his friend prepare dinner for his weekly task tonight.

"Yep, Todoroki-kun! We're going over some Gunhead martial arts Uraraka-chan taught Iida and me. What're we making for dinner tonight by the way?"

"I was thinking cold soba."

Izuku rolled his eyes.

"You always pick that!"

* * *

When Izuku noticed a majority of the girls following him around the dorm he knew something was up.

"Um," he started shyly, his fingers twiddling around each other nervously, "do you guys need something from me? You've been trailing me since class ended. If there's anything I can do to help you, then—"

"Can I cut your hair?" Mina cut him off excitedly.

He blinked in surprise.

"What?"

"She wants to cut your hair, dude." Jiro repeated. "Your curls are all over the place if you haven't noticed. You're probably well overdue for a trim, and Mina is a pro at cutting hair."

Uraraka nodded in agreement. "She's right, Deku-kun. Mina has trimmed mine for me before."

"Of course you don't need a haircut if you don't want one," Yaoyorozu confirmed.

Hagakure grabbed Izuku's hand tenderly. "Yaomomo's right! It's totally your decision after all, but we just wanted to let you know we're totally up for giving you a cute haircut."

Izuku looked between the girls' eager faces before a genuine smile broke across his face.

"I am in need of haircut," he finally said with a laugh. "It saves my mom and me a trip to the city too. When would you like to do it?"

Mina threw a fist into the air. "Let's do it now!"

The greenette blinked.

"Wait, right now?"

"This very instant, Midori! I've been waiting days for this. I have just the haircut in mind!"

Less than five minutes later he was being seated in the communal bathroom on a literal barbershop chair. It was positioned over one of the open showering areas because according to the girls he needed to have his hair thoroughly washed before it was cut.

"I could just wet it by dunking under the showerhead?" He offered. Part of him felt like he was wasting their time or abusing their kindness, but his question was met with a solid denial.

"No way, Midori." Hagakure said. "Yaomomo did not make this awesome chair for you to not use it. We're going to wash your hair for you like an actual hair cutting place, okay? Just relax."

He nodded slowly, resigning himself to his fate.

"I'm going to tilt the chair back," Uraraka informed while Jiro placed a towel over his front. She tucked in behind his shoulders to catch any excess water just as Hagakure was turning on the water. Once it was warm but not scalding she took the hand held showerhead from the top of the shower and gave it to Mina. The pink-skinned girl made sure to warn him before wetting his hair down completely.

"The water isn't too hot or cold, right?"

Izuku made a noise that meant "no".

"It's perfect, Mina-kun."

She smiled. "Great! I'm going to start working in the shampoo then. It's going to make your hair feel super soft once it's dry."

With that she turned the water off momentarily. After depositing some shampoo onto her hands and rubbing them together so it wasn't as cold, she lathered it into Izuku's scalp with experienced fingers.

Uraraka and Yaoyorozu couldn't help but giggle as Izuku's eyes fell closed and he slumped against the chair happily.

"Feels nice, doesn't it?" Mina asked. Izuku nodded in confirmation. "I love having my hair done too for the very same reason. It's a little trickier because of the horns, but everyone loves a good hair-washing! I bet even Bakugo would."

Izuku laughed. "Mina-chan, I don't think Kacchan would ever let someone else wash his hair. Do you guys want to know something funny though? If you promise to not let Kacchan know I told you, I'll tell you how he dries his hair. It's something only he would do."

"Dude, spill!" Jiro along with the other girls begged. Dirt on the explosive blond was rare, so they wouldn't let this opportunity slip.

"Since his quirk is explosion, he uses tiny explosions to dry his hair. That's how he really gets his hair so spiky."

The girls immediately started freaking out, most of them laughing at the image of Bakugo using explosions to make what they imagined as limp wet hair into the spiky hairstyle they were used to seeing.

"That's hilarious," Uraraka giggled.

Jiro grinned, agreeing wholehearted. "Yep. I can totally see him doing that too."

Soon after the discussion Mina switched from washing his hair to rinsing, Uraraka brandishing a brush in order to straighten his wet curls afterwards. Once that was done Mina started snipping.

"I'm just going to trim it shorter, okay? I think it'd look cuter if it was a little bit shorter in the back than the length it was when we first started here at U.A. though. How do you feel about that?"

Izuku didn't think for long.

"That's fine with me. I trust your judgment, Mina-chan."

Said girl grinned cheerfully. "Thank you! I won't let you down, Midori!"

When all was said and done, Mina was a girl of her word. The girls smiled excitedly as Hagakure and Uraraka walked the boy over to the mirror to see the result.

"So," Mina sang, "do you like it?"

The greenette touched the short hair at the back of his neck timidly. After a second his hand ran from the back to the top where it gradually got longer. The hairstyle was a mix of his original curls with a hint of an undercut, but either way it looked amazing. Mina had some serious skill.

"It's great!" He wound up saying, turning around to face her. Before he knew what he was doing he was hugging her tightly. "Thank you all so much!"

Mina returned the hug with just as much enthusiasm.

"It was no problem, Midori! We all had a lot of fun. Let me know the next time you need a trim though, okay? We'd be happy to help again… in exchange for more blackmail on Bakugo."

Izuku grinned sheepishly as they pulled away from the hug.

His chest felt lighter than it had in ages.

"Let's show Iida-kun and Todoroki-kun your new haircut," Uraraka said cheerfully, her entire form buzzing in excitement.

Nodding, Izuku allowed the brunette to grab his hand and escort him out of the bathroom. His hand felt as warm as his heart.

* * *

"Midoriya."

"Yes, Todoroki-kun?"

The dual-quirk user gestured towards the front of the dormitory.

"Our classmates are preparing to leave for an impromptu trip to the arcade. Uraraka sent me to 'forcibly drag you with', as she put it."

Izuku let out a chuckle at that. It very much sounded like the gravity girl.

"Basically everybody is going then?"

Todoroki nodded. "Yes. Ashido challenged Bakugo to something called Dance Dance Revolution, and we all know how well that worked at getting him to come with. Be that as it may I am curious to go to an arcade seeing as it will be my first time going to one."

"Really? It'll be my first time too. I heard they're a lot of fun, and since neither of us have been to one before we can learn how to play the games together!"

Izuku's smiles were contagious, Todoroki decided. They had to be for him to feel his own facial muscles pulling upwards at the other boy's energetic grin.

* * *

"I'm really sorry, Midoriya." Kirishima apologized for the umpteenth time.

Izuku waved him off, the pain radiating from his back bearable enough for him to hide behind a smile.

"Don't worry about it, Kirishima-kun. I've taken a lot harder hits than that from Uraraka-chan." They both laughed a bit at that before sobering up. "Anyway, I'll see you later tonight at dinner?"

The redhead grinned. "Sure thing! I'll let you study or whatever then, bro. See ya later!"

Once he'd gone Izuku stared at his closed door for a few seconds just to make sure the eccentric teenager didn't burst back through them a third time. He'd already done it once, so the greenette wanted to be sure he wouldn't be bothered before getting the medicine box out from underneath his bed. He waited approximately two minutes before pulling off his shirt and getting the two creams out that he'd need. One was to help accelerate healing of bruises as well as lessen pain, and the other was something he used daily to help with scar reduction.

He held the cream for bruising in his hand thoughtfully. How was he going to reach the spot just below the center of his shoulder blades by himself?

The answer was obvious; without an elasticity quirk he couldn't.

Sighing dejectedly, Izuku willed himself to pick up his phone. After scrolling through his list of contacts he let his eyes linger over his three closest friends at U.A. He couldn't pick Uraraka to help, because he knew they'd both just become blushing messes. Iida was out of the question too. While he would help him out happily out of duty as the class rep as well as one of his closest friends Izuku knew he'd have to sit through another lecture on taking care of himself. He wasn't feeling up to another one of those right now. That just left Todoroki.

Shooting the dual-haired boy a text asking him if he was busy, Izuku tapped his fingers restlessly while he waited for a reply. Half of him felt like a bother for texting him. After a couple minute passed without a response he was tempted to text him again saying to forget it. He could go without treating the sure to be blossoming bruise on his back; he'd dealt with worse injuries for years without anyone else's assistance.

He grabbed his phone again, fully prepared to tell Todoroki to disregard his last text, when a knock suddenly sounded from his door.

"Midoriya, it's Todoroki. You asked if I was free?" He questioned from the hallway.

Izuku hastily put a shirt on as he scrambled to meet the fire and ice quirk user at the door. Why was he feeling so self-conscious all of a sudden? It wasn't like his friends hadn't seen him shirtless before. He was going to have to see him shirtless if he agreed to help him anyway.

"S-sorry for making you wait!" The greenette greeted, opening the door and smiling a classic dimpled smile.

Todoroki didn't seem bothered by the delay.

"I only just got here, so there's nothing to worry about. I have nothing going on tonight anyway. Speaking of, did you need assistance with something? Your text made it sound like you needed help."

As he spoke Todoroki walked into the room, sitting down on Izuku's All Might comforter just as the owner of the room closed his door. Before his question could be answered he noticed the two tubes of cream lying on the bed. He picked one up, inspecting it silently.

"So it seems you were lying about that kick you took during training earlier," he accused the shorter boy.

Izuku let out a nervous chuckle.

"I, um, didn't want to make Kirishima-kun worry any more than he already was. Recovery Girl also already works really hard, so I didn't think some bruising was enough to see her over. I was going to try and put it on my back myself."

"But you can't reach there effectively, can you?"

He blushed. "No, I can't. I was wondering if you might be able to help me with that? If you're comfortable that is. I don't want to—"

"Midoriya," Todoroki stopped him with a hand, a slight but present exasperated smile on his face. "It's fine. Sit down in front of me and take off your shirt," he instructed before scooting back further on the bed. There was now plenty of room for Izuku to timidly place himself in front of his friend. He pulled his shirt off glad that his face was turned away from Todoroki's.

"Thank you, Todoroki-kun."

The other boy responded with a quiet "you're welcome", a sense of accomplishment at being the one he trusted enough to help him.

From there the two sat in relative silence. Todoroki got to work putting some of the cream on his left hand, using his quirk to warm up the cold substance before applying it delicately to the angry purple, yellow, and brown bruise Kirishima's heavy kick had created.

"Tell me if I'm hurting you," he warned. Izuku nodded.

Starting from the darkest part, Todoroki worked in the cream by making small circles towards the edges of the bruise. He made sure his fingers weren't pressing too hard on account of causing any pain. The work was slow in practice, the half-cold half-hot hero in training wanting to make sure he took his time and did a good job. Luckily for him it was obvious he was doing an amazing job with the way he had Izuku completely lax before him. There was usually a buzz of nervous energy hanging around the greenette, but right then it was nonexistent. The observation made him so pleased. To see his friend so relaxed made him act so that even after he was done applying the cream he started working the tightness out of the muscles of his spine. He made sure to avoid the injury, and the sigh of appreciation he received in return made his heart thrum.

"Thank you again," Izuku stated softly. "You're really kind-hearted, Todoroki-kun. I think that's a quality the best heroes have."

Todoroki rolled his eyes. Izuku would relate everything to heroes.

"You're welcome, Midoriya, although your thanks aren't needed. I'm doing this because I wish too. While we're talking though, what is the other cream for?"

"Oh, that's for scarring. It helps with assisting them in fading over time. It doesn't work completely, but it does have some effect. I'm mainly using it to try to get the scar on my arm to fade somewhat."

"I can help you put that on too if you'd like." He offered while letting his arms rest at his sides. "You have a couple on your back that you might be hard pressed to reach yourself, you know, and I'm happy to assist while I'm sitting here anyway."

"Really? Well, only if you're—"

A series of knocks cut him off, the loud beats combined with a gruff voice that accompanied them sending that usual air of nervousness blanketing over Izuku once again.

"Deku!" Bakugo's shouted from the hallway. "Shitty-hair won't leave my ass alone until I make sure his pansy-ass kick didn't actually hurt you all that bad. Idiot doesn't understand that you can take a… hit."

As he'd been talking he opened the door without announcing the action, the last word trailing off when he happened upon the once tender scene before him.

Todoroki glared at the blond, annoyance flaring in the dual-quirk user.

"Close the door, Bakugo. Since you didn't have the common sense to ask permission before coming in or at least announce that you were going to barge in here you can make sure to at least do that much. Midoriya would appreciate it."

For a second it seemed like Bakugo was going to start yelling even louder than before, but when his red-eyed gaze fell over Izuku's tense form he thought better of it. He did not just get wailed into by his so-called friends (aka the Bakusquad) about being less of a dick to his childhood friend just to not at least try to accept their challenge.

 _"I bet you couldn't be less of an asshole to Midoriya if you tried," Sero had said at some point in their shouting match discussion._

 _"Is that a challenge, soy sauce face? Like hell I couldn't do that! I can do anything I please!"_

 _Kaminari and Mina openly agreed with Sero, Kirishima being the only one to stick up for the explosive blond._

 _"C'mon guys, I'm sure Bakugo can be nicer to Midoriya. He'd never lose a challenge. Especially one so easy," he grinned confidently._

Bakugo had wanted to punch Kirishima so damn hard, but his hardening quirk made it much less satisfying.

Closing the door, Bakugo then walked around the bed so he could see the damage for himself. The entire time Izuku looked at him like he'd grown horns and a tail to match his sometimes demonic personality. The blond tried to ignore the green eyes on him since he knew he'd only want to snap the more he acknowledged them.

"It's not that bad," he finally commented. His attention turned to Todoroki. "You putting some cream on it for him, or somethin'?"

"Yes, actually. I just finished applying it. I was going to help him put on some cream for scarring too while I was at it, but you interrupted before I could begin."

A scoff came from the blond. He picked up the scar cream with one hand and made a shooing motion with the other.

"I bet you suck at stuff like this, half-n-half. Why don't you run downstairs and get me something to drink while I take care of this? That way I can get hair-for-brains off my back."

Both of them noticed Izuku's breath hitch at the offer, but neither commented on it.

Todoroki hummed thoughtfully. "I suppose that's up to Midoriya. If he feels comfortable with me leaving for a few minutes then it's fine with me."

"I-It's fine, Todoroki-kun. I trust Kacchan."

Somehow the words felt forced.

A moment later Bakugo had taken Todoroki's spot on the bed. The air was much heavier than it had been earlier, the muscles in Izuku's shoulders wound tight even as Bakugo barked out that he wasn't going to hurt him.

"Just relax, Deku." He growled before grabbing the greenette's arm. While he hadn't done it roughly that didn't stop Izuku from flinching, the response making Bakugo's gut churn uncomfortably. He ignored the way Izuku apologized immediately afterwards too.

Things didn't get much better from there. Even as Bakugo tried to stay quiet and be as gentle as possible while rubbing the cream onto the rectangular scar on the younger's arm, the thick tension in the room was setting them both on edge. Bakugo didn't understand why Izuku was so scared of him when he could punch him through the building if he desired. Izuku didn't understand why Bakugo was acting, in a cosmic sort of way, nice to him.

When Izuku began muttering to himself Bakugo finally lost his patience.

Slamming his hands down onto Izuku's shoulders, the boy underneath him jumping in fright before trying to pull away, the blond manhandled the other around until Izuku's upper half was twisted around to face him.

"What the hell is your problem? I'm trying to be nice to you for once in your miserable life, and despite all that power you still act like a spineless nerd. What gives, huh? You think you're too good for me, Deku?"

"Kacchan, it's not—"

"Not what, huh? It's not me? Don't expect me to fall for that load of crap!"

"If you'd just listen to—"

"You're terrified of me. Just come out at say it! I know it's all my f—"

 _"Kacchan!"_

The frustrated yell silenced Bakugo, the blond's attention fully trained on the desperate look on Izuku's face. After a moment the greenette finally calmed down enough to speak.

"I'm sorry for shouting," he began meekly. "You just... it makes me so mad when you just scream at me when we could be talking our issues out. I'm your friend, Kacchan." He said with a huff. "It's been apparent for years that you don't see me as one though. I thought when we were younger that you were just covering up the fact that you cared about me underneath all that anger. Stomping on my dreams being your way of worrying about me getting injured as a quirkless hero, hurting me over and over again being the only way you thought you could get me to give up on such a dangerous career."

Izuku sighed, sadness dripping from his voice when he continued.

"I was wrong though, wasn't I?"

Bakugo couldn't bring himself to respond. The greenette didn't seem surprised by the other's lack of answer, but his smile already miniscule smile dropped just a little more.

"You know I admired you since the day I met you. I still admire you, even more than All Might," he resumed. "We were friends once, for a short time, before you got your quirk. You don't deny that. You wouldn't let our classmates get away with calling us childhood friends otherwise, and part of me believes you wouldn't put up with me to calling you Kacchan if you truly hated me. Is that much at least spot on?"

A subtle nod, but a response all the same.

Izuku smiled. "That's a relief. After everything we've been through, even though I have every reason to be angry with you, I can't stop feeling like you're my best friend. Maybe that's why I don't mind it when you take your emotions out on me. I want to help and support you, and I know I'm the only one that can receive your true feelings. And that's okay with me, but it isn't with my friends."

"Your friends are a lot smarter than you are, nerd."

"Definitely. I can't help how I feel though, Kacchan. At this point your chance at changing my feelings is nonexistent too," he laughed. "Anyway, I don't want things to always be so strained between us. I miss you. And I don't want you to be upset with me, okay? I really don't. But I'm not really sure why you're trying to be nice to me all of a sudden, although I bet it has something to do with Kirishima after what happened a couple days ago in the lounge. That... that wasn't your fault though."

"Like hell it wasn't." Bakugo ground out, eyes narrowed. "Don't lie to me, Deku. You don't think I've seen the outcome of my shitty attitude? You flinch all the time, stutter, have no sense of self-worth or self-preservation, hate loud noises, freak out from the littlest touch, assume people are going to hurt you, and have a pain tolerance higher than some pro heroes. That's all my fault!"

There was a moment a silence.

"You... you're actually taking responsibility?" Izuku's voice shook in disbelief.

Bakugo turned his head away pointedly. "Of course I am. That's what heroes do, right? I can't keep blaming my shit on other people anymore if I want to be number one."

"...Thank you, Kacchan."

"Hah?"

"Also, I forgive you."

 _"Hah?"_

Izuku smiled, eyes closing for a couple seconds before opening again. "That was your version of an apology, wasn't it?"

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about."

The greenette laughed it off, the grip on his shoulders loosening so that he could turn himself around voluntarily. "Right. Anyway, I'm trying to get a handle on some of those things you mentioned. I think the touch thing is definitely getting better, isn't it?"

"If you're letting half-n-half feel you up then it must be."

"W-what? He wasn't—"

"You know what I mean. When I'm nearby you you're wound tighter than a spring. Everyone else is different though, aren't they? I've seen the girls, Iida, Todoroki, and my idiot friends touching you casually the last couple of days and you've started to become more accustomed to it." He turned away momentarily. "It's helping the whole touch-starved stuff Auntie Inko was talking about way back when, right?"

"Yeah," was the soft reply. "They really are helping."

"What about me?" Bakugo felt Izuku's eyes widened without having to look up. "Is what I tried doing earlier… did that help?"

Izuku seemed guilty. "I... it's different when it's you. I'm not saying this to upset you by the way, it's just the truth. When I felt Todoroki's hands on my back," he paused, contemplating, "it felt... warm? Not because of his quirk, but being around him makes me feel safe. Protected. His touches are kind, and I can say without a shadow of doubt he would never hurt me outside of training. With you though, Kacchan, no matter how much I want to stop myself from feeling like this your touch... stings. It's like there's phantom heat behind every point of contact that makes me feel like I'm going to get burned again. I'm pretty sure you wouldn't do that outside of training anymore, but that's something I need to get used to."

"Yeah, I get it." Bakugo huffed.

"I'm sorry. I'm really trying to-"

Bakugo cut him off with a raised hand. "Save it, nerd. You don't need to apologize or explain it to me. I had four idiots pounding it into my brain earlier that fixing this mess is going to be slow going. You'd trust me with your life on the battlefield because I'm someone you look up to, but when it comes to me being someone you trust, being your... friend... then I have a long way to go."

"Kacchan?"

"And I can't promise I won't screw everything up again too. We have more to talk about than can be discussed now, because I'm pretty sure there's a nosy bastard standing outside the door with drinks."

Todoroki promptly walked in holding a tray with three glasses of hot tea on it.

"I apologize for eavesdropping, but I didn't want to interrupt if you two were having a moment."

Bakugo immediately took that as an insult.

"A moment?"

"I believe those call for intimacy."

Izuku blushed. "Todoroki-kun, that isn't—"

"Whatever." Bakugo suddenly cut them both off in favor of getting off the bed. As he walked past Todoroki he grabbed one of the glasses, opening the door and sending a scathing look over his shoulder. "I'll let it slide this time, but only because I'm feeling generous. See you nerds in class tomorrow."

With that he walked out, closing the door behind him without even slamming it.

Todoroki brought a glass of tea to Izuku while taking a small sip of his own. "I take it everything went relatively well then?"

"Yeah," Izuku answered as he stared into his tea like it held the secrets of the universe. "I think it did."


	4. Izuku is in love?

AN: Fourth chapter: Izuku is in "love"? Focuses on Izuku's... "intense admiration" he has for Bakugo as evidence everywhere throughout the manga/anime. Sort of an introspective drabble.

AN#2: To get you guys pumped for what's ahead the next few chapters will feature some of the following: Eri, beach, mind-reading quirk, a quirk called "Split", and the finding out of a secret featuring All For One.

* * *

"Midoriya, watch out!"

The green-haired teen spun around at the sound of Iida's voice, his eyes filled with confusion as to why he needed to watch out behind him during one on one combat when his partner was right in front of him. Neither class 1-A nor class 1-B were supposed to be using their quirks during the combined hand to hand training too.

So why was there a ball of pink light heading directly towards his chest then?

Before he could react, whatever quirk it was hit him. He closed his eyes tightly upon instinct. To his surprise, however, he didn't feel a thing even after the little ball dispersed upon contact. Still, he stared at where the ball of light had hit him as he heard the class rep begin reprimanding someone from class 1B. Something had to happen, right? Surely even if the quirk itself was harmless it wasn't just for show. His attention was occupied by trying to figure out if he felt different at all until the person he'd been sparring with, who was none other than Bakugo, made a noise of impatience.

"Deku, pay attention so I can beat your ass again fair and square!"

Rolling his eyes, Izuku finally turned his attention back to his childhood best friend. The moment their eyes met though, his breath caught in his throat. It was like he was seeing the blond for the first time. How hadn't he noticed it before?

Bakugo was hot.

"Midoriya!" Iida shouted from across the lot, urgency clear in his voice. "Close your eyes! If you look into anyone else's eyes the quirk you were hit with will take effect!"

 _Oops,_ Izuku thought sluggishly, eyes roaming across Bakugo's muscled arms, _too late for that. Oh man, he could throw me to the ground and I wouldn't even complain._

As Iida approached the boy, Bakugo sent a glare at the guy interrupting their fight. "What did that quirk even do, four-eyes? It looked pretty weak to me. Broke apart the moment it hit the useless loser."

"It's called Cupid's Arrow. He will become infatuated with the first person he locks eyes with for a period of time, unfortunately. _Please_ don't tell me he already looked at you."

Bakugo froze for a second as he replayed what Iida had just told him. "Wait, are you telling me he's going to fall in love or some shit with the first person that manages to meet his eyes? He's already looked at me! Shit. I'm going to explode whoever did this I swear I—"

"Kacchan," Izuku cut off with a melodious laugh, "you're so adorable when you make threats like that!"

"What."

"Actually, you're adorable all of the time." He amended while staring lovingly at the blond. Bakugo's angry face slowly morphed into one of horror. "Do we have to spar? As much as I'd like to have you knock me to the ground, fighting with you might mean you getting hurt. I don't want that."

Iida seemed at a loss for words as he gaped at his friend. When he recovered a few moments later, he cleared his throat awkwardly. "This is not good. Not good at all. I'm going to get Aizawa-sensei."

In an instant he activated his quirk, shouting for their homeroom teacher like his life depended on it.

"He's so over the top," Izuku commented. "Sort of like you, Kacchan, but you do it in a different way. You're way more attractive—I mean, explosive. Attractive and explosive, really. Your quirk is explosion after all. And you're hot. Can you get any more amazing?"

Bakugo's face lit up pink at the compliments being thrown at him, the other's emerald eyes staring at him like he was the most important person in his life. It made him feel things. Usually he felt various forms of anger, but Izuku was making him feel something different. It tingled in his gut and made him feel embarrassed yet exhilarated at the same time.

It pissed him off.

"Shut up, Deku!" He growled. Before he knew what he was doing he closed the distance between them, fist gripping the shorter boy by his gym uniform and lifting him up slightly. "Knock this lovey-dovey crap off now before I knock you unconscious."

Izuku wasn't fazed in the slightest. While he usually would be struggling out of the other's grip and trying to diffuse the situation with an apology, in his current state he just grinned dopily.

"I like when you're this close to me, although I wish you were grabbing my hand and not my shirt. You can do whatever you want though. I trust you, Kacchan." He finished with a smile brighter than the sun. For a moment it almost blinded the boy holding him.

Bakugo let go of him immediately, setting off an explosion in frustration before taking in a large breath. A moment later he was screaming at the top of his lungs.

"WHOEVER HAS THE SHITTY LOVE QUIRK BETTER FIX THIS MORON RIGHT NOW!"

* * *

Hours later, Izuku Midoriya was sitting at his desk like normal. With his chin resting on his palm, eyes half-closed in the utmost happiness, he stared at the back of Bakugo's head like the boy was a king or a god. He had been doing it for so long that the rest of his classmates were really freaked out despite knowing about his condition. Aizawa was more annoyed than perturbed, but there was nothing he could do about the affects of another quirk on the student. He could only erase the individual's quirk, not an effect due to it.

That didn't mean he would excuse Izuku from taking notes though.

"Midoriya," the tired-eyed hero chastised, "stop mooning over Bakugo and take notes. If you don't I will put you out in the hallway."

"But he's so amazing it's hard to look away."

The honestly in his voice disturbed the teacher, but he held firm.

"If I send you out into the hallway you won't be able to look at him at all. Now start taking notes. I won't repeat myself again."

At the notion of his spectacular view being taken away, Izuku nodded vigorously before picking up his pencil and flipping to an open page of his notebook. The teacher turned around in mild satisfaction. That was good enough, he supposed.

By the end of class, however, he realized he hadn't specified what the notes were supposed to be on. This occurred to him when Sero glanced over at his desk neighbor and his jaw dropped.

"Wow, Midoriya. I never knew you had artistic side like that!"

In an instant several other students crowded around the green-haired boy's desk, even Bakugo spinning around to see what all of the commotion was about. Gasps of awe and praised were heard by the teacher in the front, which wasn't enough to entice him into checking out whatever was going on, yet Bakugo's silence did spark his curiosity.

"What is going on?" He asked flatly, arms crossed. The students ran back to their seats in record time. Izuku was left smiling at his notebook like it contained the secrets of the universe.

"They just wanted to see my notes," Izuku answered. "I illustrated my past knowledge of Kacchan's appearance and everyone seemed to like it!"

Aizawa didn't have the patience for this.

A moment later he was demanding Izuku give him the notebook, to which the boy happily obliged. When the teacher finally gathered his resolve and looked at the "illustration" he was actually rather impressed.

Izuku did have the potential to be an artist.

Even though it was a sketch done in pencil, the amount of detail and light contrast was astounding. The scene was from their second trip to the USJ. It gave a startling visual through Izuku's eyes as he was being pulled up the canyon during rescue training. His viewpoint, which the picture depicted, showed his perspective as he was nearing the top of the fissure. This meant Bakugo was staring down at him as he single-handedly raised him up by the grappling cable. While his face was set in his usual scowl, Izuku had outlined his form with what appeared to be a mixture of sparkles and stars while using varying shades of graphite to make it appear as if light from the sun was shining from him instead. There was even a faint outline of a halo above the blond boy's head.

All in all, Aizawa was thoroughly baffled by Izuku's perspective. Sure he was being affected by a an infatuation quirk, but this level of detail probably meant he had thought about this memory fairly often, or at least that it was important to him, to have such a strong memory of it.

"I think I was too afraid of Kacchan attacking me at the time, but I wanted to tell him how amazing of a hero he looked like at that moment," Izuku found himself sighing. "He's literally an angel."

From the other side of the room, Kaminari gaped. "Lord Explosion Murder, an angel? You're crazy."

Plenty of others grumbled in agreement, which only proved to set Bakugo off. Before he could to more than let out a roar, however, Izuku cut him off to respond to Kaminari.

Izuku smiled brightly. "It's called being crazy in love, actually."

"Deku!"

"Yes, Kacchan?"

"Do me a favor and never say you're in love with me again. Actually, do me another favor and jump out the window so I don't have to hear this shit!"

To everyone's horror, the lovesick teen nodded sagely. It was as if he took the offhanded command seriously.

"Okay, Kacchan. If that's what makes you happy."

He got up from his desk and turned towards the window without a word. As he made to unlock the window everyone began screaming in panic, Aizawa quickly reading the situation and capturing Izuku with his bandages before the window could even be opened.

"Bakugo, take back your statement at once," the teacher instructed.

The explosive blond realized with some dismay what awful connotations this originally harmless quirk truly had. To make someone fall in love with them to the point of going to whatever lengths to make the object of said affection happy held some serious power if used by a villain. He was glad a hero course student was the one wielding it, but it didn't stop his veins from filling with ice upon seeing Izuku ready to jump out a window while on the fourth floor.

"Deku, I was only joking. Come sit back down."

The other boy's voice was somehow even brighter as Aizawa released him. With a spin that nearly startled half of the class Izuku looked at Bakugo with newfound affection.

"Does that mean I can go back to drawing you some more?"

"It's not like I can stop you," the other grumbled.

Taking that as a yes, Izuku more or less skipped back into his seat and eagerly went back to drawing in another notebook. No one dared to acknowledge the elephant in the room until Aizawa bid dismissed his class a few minutes later. When they did dare, however, they didn't just acknowledge it. They impaled the imaginary elephant (poor thing).

"Hey, Bakubro? You don't think Midoriya actually likes you, right? That drawing seemed really detailed for him to just sketch it out on the fly. Do you think he actually sees you that way?" Kirishima asked hesitantly. He seemed afraid of what his friend's reaction would be, and activated his hardening quirk as a precaution.

Bakugo huffed, arms crossed and ever-present scowl on his face. "He doesn't like me, Shit-for-brains. He has always followed me around like some sort of stalkerish puppy though. Even before I got my quirk he was always praising me, rightfully so since I was always this amazing, and he's never stopped. Still didn't stop him from looking down on me and thinking I was weak. For how strong he called me he would pity me like I was helpless or some shit. He still acts like that sometimes. Really pisses me off."

The red-hair teen cringed. "Bro, I don't think that's him looking down on you. He's the sort of type to help people, y'know? He wants to be a hero after all. I'm sure he never meant to make you think he was above you."

"He's right!" Izuku broke in happily. "You've always been amazing to me, Kacchan! I've looked up to you since we were little. You're my image of victory, even more so than All Might himself! You'll be the best hero ever one day. I'm sure of it!" The magnitude of brightness of the boy's smile nearly blinded his classmates, the grumpy blond being talked to even taken back a bit at how genuine he sounded. Was this a side effect of the quirk, or did he really mean that?

"Whatever. Just go back to drawing, Deku."

"I already finished my next drawing though. Wanna see?"

He was met with a resounding "yes" from those watching the interactions like a soap opera.

The drawing he held up was a memory from the attack on the USJ during their first visit. The landscape and warp villain were drawn using darker shades, the villain seeming to be charging towards the viewer; however, a much lighter drawn image of Bakugo was sketched colliding with the villain and saving the viewer from an attack. A wild grin was on the explosive blond's face, yet the sketch still made an almost angelic aura appear around the hero in training.

"It's from when you saved me from Kurogiri. I never said thank you because I know you hate that, but I was grateful for your help that day. You're such a great guy, Kacchan."

The tingling in the other's stomach appeared again, and the chatters of his classmates grated on his brain like chips of glass. They kept muttering about how strange it was for such a kind guy like Izuku to moon over someone like Bakugo even outside the effect of the quirk as they'd all heard Izuku fanboy over him countless times. It made Bakugo sick.

Suddenly he couldn't take it anymore.

"Shut up!" Bakugo shoved the notebook into Izuku's chest, red eyes flashing with annoyance as struggled to keep himself from shaking with rage. "I am not a great guy, stupid Deku! I wasn't trying to rescue you that day. I just wanted to beat that villain's ass! You're just a stepping stone on my path to being the next number one hero. I don't care about you at all, alright? Get that through your head. So stop spouting all that annoying lovey-dovey crap before I blow you from here to…"

At the sight of Izuku's lip wobbling and tears beginning to stream down his face, Bakugo bit his tongue. The absolutely oppressive protective glares being sent his way helped silence him as well.

 _What is this feeling?_ Bakugo thought as he felt a bit like he was being strangled. _This can't be guilt, right? I don't feel sorry for screaming at the nerd. I've never felt regret for something in my life. Well, maybe the incident in middle school about the roof, but…_

Regret was foreign to him, sure, but that was definitely what he was feeling.

"I-I'm sorry for annoying you," the greenette sniffled. "I'll just head home now. Have a nice rest of your day everyone." He managed a small smile and wave, yet the tears on his cheeks and fakeness in his voice made it obvious he was struggling to seem genuine. "See you all tomorrow."

With that Izuku hastily made his way out of the classroom, a concerning Iida and Uraraka hurrying to catch up with him to make sure he wouldn't be alone going home. Once the trio was gone, however, Todoroki sent a withering look at the center of attention.

"You know he didn't deserve that. I would suggest you apologize, but it seems he'll be home soon and the quirk will be wearing off anytime now. That means you'll have to say something to him tomorrow since he will remember what happened, and even if he pretends your words didn't affect him we all know it for what it is— pretending."

Bakugo didn't want to admit it, but Todoroki had a point. He'd messed up.

* * *

That next morning when Izuku left his apartment he was startled to see Bakugo leaning up against the railing nearby.

"H-hi, Kacchan!" The greenette waved timidly. "About yesterday…"

He trailed off when Bakugo raised a hand.

"Before you say another word, Deku, let me set you straight. I know you remember everything that happened yesterday. That means I don't need you lying to me; you're shit at it anyways. I have just one question for you."

"Y-yeah?"

Ruby eyes burned into emerald.

"What am I to you?"

"What are you… to me?" Izuku repeated back slowly. This only caused the blond to roll his eyes before signaling them to start walking towards the station. He knew it would take a while for the shorter boy to get his head into order.

After a couple minutes of silence the greenette finally opened his mouth again.

"Kacchan."

"Yeah?"

"That was my answer."

Bakugo glared at Izuku, annoyed. "What the hell sort of answer is that? That doesn't tell me shit."

Izuku shrugged. "I don't know, I feel like it sort of tells you everything, doesn't it? You're my friend whether or not you acknowledge me as your own. You're also someone I admire greatly, someone I look up for inspiration, someone I want to be like."

"I see. So yesterday's sappiness was because of the quirk, right?"

"Well, not entirely." He admitted with a blush. "I mean, most of it was! The admiration might have been a tad bit exaggerated. I'm not in love with you though if that's what you're worried about. I'm also not that attracted to you, um, physically? I mean you aren't bad looking, but I don't—"

"Can it, nerd. You've told me all I needed to know. Let's just pretend it never happened, okay?"

"Got it!"

"Also," the blond added as they neared the station, "about what I shouted yesterday. I said I don't care about you, but I meant to say I hate you."

Izuku frowned.

"Is that supposed to make me feel better, or…?"

"The opposite of love is apathy, idiot. Hating you means I do care. And here I thought you weren't a complete dumbass."

The greenette tilted his head in confusion.

"So is that your Kacchan way of apologizing, or…?"

Bakugo shoulder-checked him as they boarded the train. His silence was enough of a confirmation for them both, and Izuku couldn't hold back a small smile.

* * *

AN#3: Not sure if it's important to state my opinions on Bakugo as a character or Bakudeku as a ship (because as silly as this one-shot was it wasn't intended as a Bakudeku romance (I went for friendship/understanding)). I really love Bakugo, in all honesty, despite absolutely hating him when I first read/watched MHA. I think my opinion changed of him towards the sports festival and then during a fight that for anime only viewers will take place at the end of season 3. If you've read any of my other MHA fics you can tell I love writing his complex/volatile character- it helps me try to wrap my head around him. As for ships I'm fine with almost any MHA ship if done in a morally/consenting way (so many of the characters would go so well with a bunch of them!) but Bakudeku is probably my top favorite (Tododeku a close second with Kiribaku).


	5. Izuku is at the beach

AN: Fifth chapter: Izuku, class 1-A, and Eri go to the beach! Focuses on his relationship with Eri along with some fun with his friends at the beach. Inspired by the 4th MHA ending theme (season 3).

* * *

"You are all dismissed with the exception of Midoriya."

Izuku felt a rush of confusion and worry envelope him at the comment, Uraraka and Iida glancing at him with similar emotions as they made their way out. He remained seated as everyone gathered their things and left the room. Once everyone else had left Aizawa walked over to the door to close it. It was at the same time he gestured for Izuku to stand up, his tired eyes blinking slowly.

"Over here, problem child. We have something important to discuss."

"Y-yes, Aizawa-sensei!"

The homeroom teacher rolled his eyes at the nervousness making his student's voice stutter.

"Relax. What we're discussing isn't even about you, rather than it is Eri."

"Eri-chan? Did something happen?"

"Nothing bad," he responded while slipping into his sleeping bag. "Mirio and I were discussing the prospect of having trusted U.A. faculty and students tutor her. While she is a bright young girl she quite frankly has no education, and even though Mirio and I have begun to teach her how to read and write we do not have enough time to provide her the teaching she needs. She cannot be put into a public elementary school for the same reason she must reside here on campus. The principal and I, however, talked about possibly working in time slots for you, Uraraka, Tsuyu, Kirishima, and a few others she is familiar with to teach her specific subjects. I figured I would ask you first since that girl adores you just as much as Mirio."

Izuku smiled at the information. He was beyond thrilled Eri would be receiving the education she deserved, and his heart fluttered knowing she really liked him.

"I would be happy to teach her, Aizawa-sensei! I believe my classmates would as well."

The teacher nodded in approval, although it was hard to take him super seriously since only his face was visible in his yellow cocoon.

"Great. I'll be speaking with them later then. One more question before you go, Midoriya."

"Yes sensei?"

"I have been thinking about taking Eri somewhere outside U.A." He started a bit hesitantly, as if this wasn't his area of expertise. "After asking All Might for recommendations on where to bring a young girl such as herself to have fun and maybe see some beauty the world has to offer he brought up the prospect of making the trip into a class field trip. In order to make her feel more at ease as well as provide more protection, of course. I'm currently entertaining the idea."

"What does this have to do with me?" Izuku couldn't help but ask.

Aizawa sighed. "All Might was being vague when I asked him where he thinks we should go. He mentioned you knew the perfect place, which brings me to the question. Where would you take a girl locked away for so long to experience the beauty of the outside world that is also generally devoid of people or prospective dangers, Midoriya?"

Izuku didn't have to rack his brain too hard for an answer.

"Have you heard of Dagobah Beach?"

* * *

To say most of class 1-A was excited would've been an understatement.

"This is so freaking awesome!" Mina gushed as the students filed off of the bus. "I can't believe Aizawa-sensei has such a soft spot for my little horn buddy that he decided to take us here!"

"It is a bit surprising, but after the events of this past year it would do us well to spend some time relaxing, de-stressing, and having fun." Iida commented. Beside him Uraraka was clutching an already inflated inner-tube with a grin.

"Iida-kun, do your engines work underwater? If so you should totally push me around!"

"That doesn't seem like it'd be very safe..."

At the same time as their discussion, Kirishima was attempting to change Bakugo's mind about not sitting under his umbrella the entire afternoon and evening.

"C'mon, bro! We're going to have loads of fun. Sero brought a giant beach ball to throw around, and Hagakure brought a Frisbee and a volleyball. There's sandcastle building, and splashing around in the water too! Heck, we could even race each other in the water."

"Don't care, hair-for-brains. I should be training right now," the blond grumbled. "Why the hell did that sleep-deprived jerk make this trip mandatory anyway?"

"Because part of being a hero is about taking care of yourself. This means taking a break every once and a while, enjoying life and letting the body rest while the mind relaxes." Aizawa explained from where he stood directly behind the explosive teenager. "Now if you're done complaining, tell anyone if they need me I'll be sunbathing. Go to Iida first if there are any minor problems though."

With that the teacher found a spot in the middle of the beach to set up his own umbrella. In a matter of seconds he was sprawled across a towel with a cat on it, a sleeping mask covering his eyes as he took a nap in the shade.

"What the hell?" Bakugo raged. "That's not sunbathing!"

"Dude, chill!" Jiro hissed as she walked by. For a moment she thought she would be blown away before the blond noticed who she was pointing at.

A couple feet away Eri was tentatively getting off the bus, a white sundress on over her bathing suit. Behind her Izuku had a couple towels slung over his shoulder as well as a duffel bag put together by Aizawa. The two made their way onto the sand, but the moment Eri's feet left solid ground she stopped walking. She looked down at the sand in amazement.

"It's falling apart!"

Izuku laughed good-naturedly at the reaction. "It's a beach, Eri-chan! That means the ground is made up of tiny little grains of sand. Why don't you take your sandals off? It will feel nice and warm on your bare feet, see?" He said while slipping of his own bright red sandals. He made a show of stepping on the sand. "Also it won't fall apart unless you go near the waterline. The sand only gets mushy if it's covered in water."

"Oh."

Eri tentatively followed Izuku's lead, taking her sandals in hand before walking across the sand.

"It's so warm," she smiled after a couple seconds, curling her toes in the sand and enjoying the feeling. "I like the beach."

"I'm glad."

A few minutes later most of the class had chosen what activity they wanted to take part in first. There was so much stuff to do in the roughly five hours they had to enjoy themselves, and they wanted to take advantage of the time they had with their friends. Since it would cool down as the sun crossed the sky, many students chose to start their field trip with swimming.

"Ready to go in?" Izuku asked Eri where they sat on a giant All Might towel.

For the first several minutes since arriving at the beach Eri had been too enraptured with the sand and the view to want to do anything else other than run her hands through the sand and stare. Her eyes shined with amazement as she looked out at where the waves lapped at the shore, at the line where the sky met the water, at the sand, and all of those enjoying themselves. It was only after speaking to her directly that she snapped out of her stupor in favor of gazing up at Izuku.

"Um," she started, "I'm not sure. It looks fun, but won't it be cold? The angry boy threw the boy with the lightning bolt hair into the water and he was screaming that the water was freezing..."

Izuku sighed. "Classic Kacchan..."

After explaining to Eri how some of his classmates could over exaggerate, he walked her over to the water's edge so she could test it. In her light blue, one-piece bathing suit she looked absolutely adorable as she lifted one foot to hesitantly dip her toe in.

"You were right, Deku-san!" She stated with a smile before stepping into the water. When she was up to her knees she turned around, eyes full of glee. "The water feels so nice."

The greenette chuckled. "Isn't it?" He asked rhetorically before stepping in himself. They walked in a bit further, hand in hand, until the water met her elbows. "Want to learn how to swim?"

"Swim?" She seemed confused. "You mean being able to go on top of the water? Why can't I just use what she has?" Eri pointed over to where Jiro was lounging on a large record-shaped and designed flotation device.

"I bet we could ask someone to borrow theirs, but wouldn't it be cool to know how to swim like them?" He pointed to where Yaoyorozu and Todoroki were swimming alongside each other. "It's not too hard, I promise. The most challenging part will be having the courage to let go of me once you have the basics down."

Her gaze turned fearful and she gripped his hand tighter.

"L-let go of you? No!"

It took a solid three minutes to calm the girl down. Izuku had to vow not to let go of her as well entice her with the promise of chocolate chip cookies, both of which were better alternatives to her tears. In the end he decided to grab the floaties Aizawa had the foresight of bringing. Once she had those on her she was much more content with going into the deeper part of the water where Izuku could actually swim in.

"Hey, Eri-chan, why don't you grab onto this?" He asked her while holding onto a pool noodle. As soon as she did as he asked he began to slowly pull her along the water. When she erupted in giggles he proceeded to move her in small circles.

It was a couple minutes later that Uraraka and Tsuyu approached them.

"Deku-kun," Uraraka started energetically after greeting Eri, "I had an awesome idea for something fun we could do!"

"What's that?"

The brunette turned to Eri and whispered something in the girl's ear. This followed with Eri having to whisper into Uraraka's ear. They went back and forth a couple of times until finally Eri nodded, and Uraraka lightly tapped on the little girl's shoulder.

"There we go! You're almost weightless now. Deku-kun, could you please float on your back for a bit?"

Izuku was unsure of why he was doing it but he decided to trust his friend. Once he was on his back floating above the water his questions were answered, Uraraka picking up Eri and depositing her on top of his stomach like he was a surf board.

"She's not going to float off, right?" The One For All user couldn't help but confirm.

Uraraka pouted. "Of course not! I made her body weightless but the water in her hair along with the floaties and bathing suit will be more than enough to make sure she doesn't float off. I'll be swimming with Tsuyu only a few yards away to keep on eye on her anyway, so don't worry about it!"

That put Izuku at ease. Glancing up at Eri, he grinned. "Ready for a relaxing ride?"

"Yeah!"

The next fifteen minutes consisted of Izuku swimming backwards over the water. He passed a few of his classmates as he went, Eri greeting them shyly before they moved on. After a while though Eri asked if she could try standing up.

"I see how it is. You just want to use me as a surf board, huh?" He joked.

She didn't quite get what he was saying. Either way a moment later she was balancing on his abdominals. Since she was practically weightless it merely felt like a slight pressure over his stomach, which he didn't mind.

"Can I... jump in?" She asked all of a sudden. It took all of two seconds for her to realize it was because she noticed Kirishima and Mineta cannon-balling off of a nearby rocky outcrop.

"Sure! Wait just a second though, okay? I'll tell you when to jump. Also plug your nose or else you mind get water in them which might not feel very nice."

"Okay."

Seconds later Izuku shouted for Uraraka to release her quirk just as Eri prepared to jump. The gravity quirk user happily obliged, and a moment later Eri went splashing into the water with one hand plugging her nose.

She bounced right back out thanks to her floaties, blinking away water before grinning.

"That was so much fun! Can I do it again?"

After a while they relocated to the shore where Hagakure, Yaoyorozu, Aoyama, and Koda were making sandcastles. When the girls offered to show her how to make one she merrily accepted the invitation, telling Izuku she would be fine since Aizawa was only a couple yards away.

"As long as you're sure. Have fun, Eri-chan!" He called out before heading towards where Todoroki, Uraraka, Iida, Shoji, and Tokoyami were playing Kirishima, Sero, Mina, Kaminari, and Bakugo in beach volleyball. They were using a makeshift court with the poles being pillars of ice and a net made courtesy of a creation quirk.

"Midoriya," Todoroki greeted just as Iida failed to hit the ball over the net. "Would you like to join us?"

"Please do." Tokoyami added. "We've been tied for the past ten minutes, and it is grating on my nerves."

Izuku counted the number of players on either team and frowned.

"But it's five versus five already. If I join then their team would need someone else to join theirs too."

They scanned the beach for a prospective player. The four making sandcastles were out, Mineta was buried up to his neck in sand after plotting to untie Yaoyorozu's bikini, and Sato was chatting with Ojiro while Jiro sunbathed on a towel nearby. This left Tsuyu, who was still enjoying the water, as the most likely addition.

Uraraka grinned before calling a time out and running towards the shoreline. "I'll be right back!"

"What's going on?" Sero asked from where he was about to serve the ball.

"Oh, I think she's going to see if Tsu wants to play so Midoriya can join." Kirishima observed. "Bakugo, you good with Tsu joining our team?"

"Anyone's better than Deku," the blond answered as he grinned menacingly at his childhood friend from the other side of the net. "You'd better watch out, nerd. I'm going to beat their asses even harder now that you're playing."

Izuku gulped. Would there ever be a day Bakugo didn't see everything as a challenge?

* * *

The game had gone on for a total of fifty minutes when everyone besides Izuku and Bakugo retired. Either team would score one after another, so the self-decided rule of having to have at least three points on the opposite team to win had yet to occur; however, neither Bakugo nor Izuku wanted to give up. They were strangely competitive about this.

"I'm going to crush you one on one."

"Try me, Kacchan!"

"Bring it, Deku!"

With that Bakugo sent the ball flying with an explosion just for Izuku to jump into the air using One For All and hitting back down over the next. The angry blond had to use his own quirk to make a dive for the ball, hitting it into the air where he could slam it back over the net again.

Uraraka laughed lightly while Iida sighed in frustration at the scene.

"At least they're having a good time," she offered. "Eri-chan is too. Look."

Iida turned to see those previously making sandcastles tossing around a beach ball to each other. Off to the side he noticed there was a pile of seashells too, which implied they'd helped the girl scour the beach for them.

The class representative smiled softly. "That is a nice thing to see."

"Yeah," Uraraka agreed with a wobbly smile of her own. "She deserves this and so much more."

Iida was about to say something else when a large explosion made him lose his train of thought. A moment later the class representative was pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration; all around him bits and pieces of burnt volleyball rained across the sand.

It took a full ten seconds for Uraraka to get the words she was trying to say out between the bouts of her laughter.

"Looks like they tied, huh, Iida-kun?"

"No. It looks like Bakugo's going to use Mineta as a ball to finish their match, and Midoriya is actually considering it." He broke into a quirk-powered run as he shouted at his classmates. "Bakugo! Midoriya! In the name of our prestigious alma mater—"

Uraraka could only hold her stomach as she laughed. She would see how Iida was after having Mineta thrown at him and falling into the sand in just a moment.

* * *

The sun was low in the sky by the time Aizawa gave them their one hour warning.

"We leave after sunset," he informed everyone from where he was supervising Yaoyorozu, Todoroki, Sato, and Mina in arranging a makeshift bonfire pit. A few feet away Ojiro and Hagakure were opening up the packages of chocolate, marshmallows, and graham crackers for s'mores while Shoji grabbed small wooden disposable skewers to put marshmallows on.

Eri stared at the food items in anticipation from where she sat next to Izuku. They sat on their towel a couple feet away from the now lit campfire among where the rest of class 1-A was slowly gathering.

"Are you excited for s'mores, Eri-chan?" Izuku asked. Shoji was beginning to distribute the sticks now.

The girl nodded. "They're sweet like caramel apples, right?"

"Yep! You're going to love it I'm sure. There should be extra marshmallows too if you want to roast more afterwards."

Shoji handed the two their skewers then, both of them thanking him as he went on to the next person. Izuku motioned for Eri to move closer to the fire.

"Always make sure you have three points of contact when crouching down by a fire," he instructed by example. He made sure he had one leg, a foot, and one hand flat on the sand. "It's so nothing can upset your balance and send you tumbling into the fire. After that you just have to hold the marshmallow above the glowing wood. That's where the most heat is."

"Why can't I put the marshmallow above the flames, or in the flames? Wouldn't that cook it faster?"

Izuku watched as Bakugo lit his own marshmallow on fire with a small explosion, cooking it a dark golden brown. Kirishima whooped in awe before begging his friend to do his too. The greenette smiled fondly.

"You can put it by the flames, but it's not as hot and that risks it catching on fire. If that happens it'll burn or just fall off of the stick."

"Oh."

With that Eri copied Izuku in holding the end of the stick just above the glowing wood at the bottom of the campfire. She turned it slowly just like Izuku in order to get the entire marshmallow a light golden brown. When they were done they walked over to the table where they picked their marshmallows off of the stick before putting them onto the graham crackers, putting chocolate and another graham cracker on top of it.

"It's all melty!" She exclaimed, trying not to let the now melting chocolate fall. "I'm going to make a mess…"

"That's fine. Most people make a mess and look silly when eating these."

"Even you, Deku-san?"

"Especially me," he grinned back. With that they dug in, Eri's eyes lighting up at the s'more. It wasn't long after she was asking for another one, and Izuku didn't have the heart not to allow it.

When the s'more supplies ran out and clean up was done with half an hour left before sunset to spare, the class decided to walk along the beach while they watched the sunset. Aizawa walked languidly in the rear so he could watch over his students as they enjoyed the dying light together.

"Did you have fun today?" Izuku asked the little girl on his shoulders. Beside him Uraraka and Tsuyu chatted while Iida watched over a few of their classmates who were beginning to chase each other playfully across the sand.

Eri hummed in answer, a small yawn escaping her.

"Yeah," she stated quietly before trailing off half-asleep. "I had a lot of fun. I'll have to tell Aizawa-nii thank you later…"

Izuku fought back a bark of laughter.

 _Aizawa-nii, huh? That's adorable._


	6. Izuku is exposed (1)

AN: I had the idea that All For One messed with All Might and Izuku by exposing the secret about One For All. Focuses on how I think the public/world would initially react to the truth, along with some fatherly Aizawa. May make a sequel to this but we'll see~

* * *

 _"Izuku Midoriya," All For One stated with a voice amplified by yet another quirk. It reached far enough for the media equipment in the now retreating helicopter to pick up, "he's the one you passed it onto, isn't he? That formerly quirkless child is your successor."_

Bakugo, Kirishima, and Iida froze. The trio slowly turned to look at the green-haired boy standing slack-jawed in utter confusion, although there seemed to be realization dawning in the blond's eyes.

 _"That's right, All Might. Your big secret will finally been exposed for the entire world to see. Everyone will know the truth about your quirk. It's a fusion called One For All," the villain spoke to the public, "that brings the user incredible stockpiled strength; however, it is not transferred through genetics like most quirks. No, One For All is transferred by DNA exchange only when the previous holder wishes it to be so. The reason the Symbol of Peace will die here today is because he's already chosen a legacy. His strength wanes, and all you will have left to succeed him is a boy not even finished with his first year of high school. I truly pity you for the sad future that awaits."_

Izuku's blood ran cold.

"N-no." He whispered, his entire form trembling. "It can't be. All Might's secrets. Why? This is bad. This is really, really bad. This is—"

Why was it suddenly getting so hard for him to breathe? His vision was beginning to blur, his body suddenly feeling heavy. The secret that had been protected for generations was suddenly out. Even if _when_ All Might defeated All For One there was going to be a tremendous uproar among people across the earth. Their entire view and understanding of quirks was about to change. Their vision of All Might would be fractured, and Izuku would be targeted by villains everywhere. People, civilians and heroes alike, would make their case on why they should be the inheritor. They would tell him why he wasn't a truly worthy inheritor, why he didn't deserve such power. The press would eat him alive. What would his mother think? His friends? They'd been lied to for so long.

Maybe... he wasn't good enough to become the next beacon of hope after all.

"Deku!"

The familiar shout of his childhood friend snapped him out of his daze. Feeling Bakugo's arm gripping his own tightly, grounding him somewhat, Izuku turned to face him with tears in his eyes.

"Kacchan," he said with a watery voice, "I'm s-sorry for—"

"Shut up, nerd. If what that villain was spouting is true then you had no choice but to keep All Might's and your own secrets. Your sappy friends will understand if they really care about you."

"But my mom, I told her what I told everyone else. I lied to her."

Bakugo's eyes widened at this.

"You mean to tell me I knew more than Auntie Inko?"

"I d-don't know, okay? It just felt like you had to know. Like you deserved to know more than anyone else," he attempted to explain. He opened his mouth to say more, but a huge explosion cut them off.

On the television screen a few moments later, All For One lie unconscious in a smoking crater.

People roared in approval at All Might's victory. Even those who seemed confused beyond belief joined in, the heroic triumph over evil overshadowing any misgivings those currently had about the truth about their number one hero and his quirk. This only made the contrast between how loud it was and how quiet it was about to be when All Might approached a camera crew that was making its way onto the scene along with disaster relief.

"Citizens," he addressed the crowd, unwavering despite his emancipated form. Izuku's breath caught in his throat at the bloody tattered uniform his idol had hanging off of himself. "Today a great evil has been defeated."

There was another round of applause from many of those watching the broadcast.

"However, today an even greater thing than my body has been broken: your trust in me."

Silence.

"I owe everyone watching an explanation. The villain stated earlier that I have been weakening for some time, and unfortunately he was not mistaken. Seven years ago I fought the exact same villain when both of us were stronger, and while I thought I defeated him back then it came at a cost. I received an injury that would slowly lead to the end of my career."

"Thankfully," he continued, "my quirk is special. One For All is a rare combination of two quirks. One allows the user to store and release massive amounts of power while the other passes on said quirk through DNA transfer. For a lack of better terms, One For All is not transferred genetically from generation to generation. It cannot be taken forcefully, but can be given to anyone the holder chooses. That is why I tried my best to keep it under wraps with only a close few knowing the truth. For keeping this secret I humbly apologize."

He bowed his head for a moment before raising it back up once more. There was still much he had to say.

"That being said, the villain also revealed that I had chosen a successor of my quirk. That is also true. One For All has already been steadily leaving me, but it exists in another."

Izuku felt his friends eyes on him once more.

"I will not say the boy's name again, but I will tell you a bit about him." A smile stretched across All Might's face. "I met him barely a year ago when I rescued him from a villain. At first glance I saw him as nothing more than a citizen in need. Later he came across as a scrawny fanboy," he laughed, "but I would learn that he had a heart fit for helping people. This once quirkless boy reminded me what it truly means to be a hero."

Iida gasped from where he stood behind Izuku.

"Bakugo wasn't joking back then," the blue-haired boy whispered in awe. "You… you were quirkless."

The greenette forced himself to ignore his friend in favor of paying attention to the television.

"I'm aware no matter how I explain myself there will be countless criticisms of my choice. To that I say this: I will defend my decision in choosing this boy as my successor until my dying breath. And to those thinking you can take advantage of his youth, well," he grinned. "You'll just have to get through me first. It's his turn now, citizens, and I could not be more proud."

"My boy," a finger pointed directly towards the camera…

 _"You are next."_

Ever so slowly a variety of sounds began to fill the streets. Among them were clapping, shouts of All Might's name, wails mourning the sure to be retirement of the number one hero, and peoples' questions about who the hero's successor is. At the center of all of this Izuku sobbed grossly. Iida, Kirishima, and Bakugo could not fault him for that. It was all the recently rescued blond could do but grab onto one of the greenette's wrists and pull him away from the crowd.

"We should get out of here," he spoke to the other three students. "The police will need to know I'm safe so they can inform my folks, the school, and the damned press."

Neither Iida nor Kirishima argued, both of them also wanting to get Izuku somewhere safe. It was only a matter of time before those who remembered hearing Izuku's name made the connection between that and his face (he had been widely recognized after the sports festival after all). He would never hear the end of it once they did.

* * *

After Bakugo had been led away by police officials Iida called Yaoyorozu to inform them of their location. While the two students who got into U.A. on recommendations would need several minutes to arrive at the station's lobby, the class representative took to calling Aizawa. Since All Might had seen their involvement in Bakugo's rescue there was no point hiding anything from the teacher.

Kirishima also wasn't sure he could snap Izuku out of the daze he was in.

Since being released from his childhood friend's grip, Izuku had gone silent. He simply stared forwards, sitting on one of the lobby chairs with tear after tear trailing down his cheek. Neither of his friends could get a verbal response from him. He didn't move much either; he was completely unresponsive.

Todoroki would later call it a type of panic attack, Yaoyorozu a type of shock.

"Aizawa-sensei!" The four students called out when the underground hero arrived in his usual attire. His face shown with disappointment, but the worry in his eyes stood out the most. Worry for one of his problem children.

"I'll be speaking with you four later. For now I want you to go home, but expect a phone call from the school." Following the dismissal he walked over to where Izuku sat catatonic. From what Iida had explained over the phone and what he gathered from the newscast Aizawa could say his student was definitely in shock.

Crouching down so he was a little below eye level with Izuku, the teacher slowly brought his hand in front of the boy's face and snapped his fingers. Zero recognition passed through those green eyes.

"Midoriya," he tried. When the boy still seemed stuck in his own head, Aizawa reached out to grab one of the boy's hands.

The response was instantaneous.

Flinching back forcefully, Izuku blinked in rapid succession until he was squinting at his homeroom teacher.

"Aizawa-sensei? What're you... where are... All Might? Is he okay?"

"Calm down there, problem child. All Might wasn't injured badly enough to keep him down for long. He's receiving treatment by the best medical professionals in the area. Who I'm more worried about right now," he continued with a softening tone, "is you."

Izuku's lower lip wobbled at the genuine care in the older man's voice.

"I'm... scared."

"And why is that? As much as I want to expel the lot of you for your more than obvious involvement in rescuing Bakugo, we can deal with a less drastic punishment later. All Might will live. I assume you're fine physically?"

"Yes, but—"

"And U.A. will do all in its power to protect you from those who would want to target you for your quirk."

The greenette tilted his head in confusion.

"What?"

Aizawa rolled his eyes before moving the hand on the boy's own to ruffle his curly hair. "Did you think the sudden reveal that you're All Might's successor would stop us from doing our jobs? If anything this will just make your teachers strive harder to teach you to the best of our abilities. I for one won't be treating you any differently though, so don't think you'll be getting any special treatment. Just because All Might gave you his quirk doesn't mean I will let my attention to my other students waver. He might pick favorites, but I won't."

"I wouldn't want you to do any of that anyway, sensei." Izuku let out a small laugh. "I'm still scared though. All Might will have to retire now, and without a symbol of peace the villains might try to act up. The League of Villains especially."

"Midoriya, I won't deceive you and tell you everything isn't going to go to hell. At some point it very well might." He noticed the frown on the boy's face before switching gears. "However, there are countless heroes out there that will just have to work even harder to keep people safe. No matter how many villains rise up there will be heroes to stop them. No matter how many people are put in danger, there will be those to come to their rescue. In just a couple of years you will be one of them."

This made Izuku burst into tears once more.

"Thank you," he croaked out seconds before Aizawa pulled him into a comforting hug. The two of them stayed there like that for several minutes before Izuku began to fidget.

Standing up, Aizawa noted he would need to do some laundry as soon as possible. Tears and snot did not look good on black. Pushing that thought to the back of his mind for now though, he gestured for his student to follow him.

"C'mon, problem child. I'm going to have to escort you back home. After that newscast the media are going to be even more unbearable."


	7. Izuku is abandoned (1)

AN: Seventh chapter: Izuku is abandoned... please don't kill me.

* * *

Izuku stared back at his house one last time. All of his belongings were already packed into the car provided by U.A., and it would be a couple of months until the next long break where he would be expected to return. That meant he had practically a quarter of the year before he had to worry about the prospect of facing the truth, right? For now he would be fine. He could cope.

"Midoriya?" The police officer and driver got his attention. "Are you almost ready to go, or did you forget to grab something? I would be happy to come with you if you need any assistance."

The greenette shook his head, politely rejecting the offer.

"Thank you, but it's nothing. I'm ready to go now."

"If you're sure." She smiled, gesturing for him to climb into the passenger seat when he began to head towards the back.

As he buckled up he couldn't tear his eyes away from his apartment complex. It was like the building was looming down over him, the balcony of his apartment reaching towards him as if to strangle him alive. Was this dread he was feeling all of a sudden? Why did his own home become something he feared, somewhere he was desperately trying to figure out some way to avoid? He was being pathetic. He didn't want to go back though. He _couldn't_ go back, not after what took place there just a few days ago.

"Sweetie?"

The young police officer chanced a touch to his shoulder, causing him to flinch out of instinct.

 _Her hand is small like mom's,_ he thought against his better judgment.

"Sorry," he answered a few seconds later, "I was... lost in my own head. I'm really fine."

"You don't look fine. You're, um, crying."

Was he now? He brought a hand up to his cheek, wincing when it came away wet. It seemed he'd started crying and he wasn't even aware.

"Sorry," he repeated sullenly. "I'm just… I miss my mom already. I'm not sure when I'm going to be able to see her again."

The officer ruffled his hair in attempts to comfort him before she turned back to the steering wheel to start the car.

"Don't worry, sweetie." She tried to remedy. "You'll be home again before you know it."

Izuku turned away to face out the window. It was all he could do to hide the increased flow of tears after all. He also appreciated the rest of the drive bring spent in silence, because if he were forced to speak any more he felt like the mask he'd spent the past few days carefully constructing would very well shatter.

* * *

"Something is wrong with Deku-kun," Uraraka whispered to Iida.

The two had just finished unpacking their things and wished to take a quick break before adding the final touches to their rooms. They had convened in the lounge like many other students, thinking after a few minutes that they should check on their friend. When they went to knock on his door, however, the duo stilled at the soft sound of sniffling.

The class representative frowned. "He seemed fine not too long ago. While I would like to give him his privacy, I believe it is our duty as friends to check on him. How do you feel, Uraraka?" He asked just as quietly.

She nodded, determination clouding the worry in her eyes.

"He needs our help."

With that Iida knocked on his friend's door, saying his name in greeting as he did so. After several seconds Izuku popped his head out. It was obvious by the redness underneath his eyes and false cheery smile on his face that he was faking.

"Hey guys! You already finished setting up your rooms?"

"Sure did," Uraraka confirmed before her smile morphed into a frown. "Um, Deku-kun, were you crying a moment ago?"

Izuku rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"N-no, of course not! Why would I be doing that?"

Iida fixed him with a disapproving stare. After a couple seconds of it Izuku sighed, the false smile fading into a neutral look.

"Maybe I was a little bit," he admitted softly. "It's not a big deal though. I was just feeling emotional because of the move, honestly. I'll be fine once I get settled in. You two don't need to worry about me, I promise."

"We'll worry if we wanna," Uraraka countered.

"That's right! We're your friends, and we want to make sure you're okay. There's also nothing to be ashamed of. Moving can be stressful for everyone involved."

The brunette nodded in agreement with Iida's statements. "My parents were crying when I left, which made me bawl too."

"My mother and brother were a bit emotional as well."

Izuku's lips curved into a smile at his friends' words. How did he wind up with such amazing, supportive friends?

* * *

 _"Make sure either one of your parents or guardians signs the permission slip." Aizawa instructed as he passed out the field trip forms. Ever since the training camp disaster the school was required to at least send out a notice of what type of training their students would be participating in off campus even if the location had to be kept secret. It was mostly formality to set the parents' minds at ease. "Have them back to me by next Friday at the latest, otherwise I'll be calling someone for verbal confirmation."_

Aizawa stared at the permission slip form in his hands with a troubled look on his face. Present Mic noticed this along with his scrutinizing gaze, so he decided to see what the issue was.

"What's got your scarf in a twist, Shota?"

The homeroom teacher of class 1-A stared into his friend's glasses tiredly.

"Izuku Midoriya, one of my problem children, decided to forge his mother's signature." He turned the form around so the blond could see. "What I don't understand is why. He's a troublesome kid when it comes to many things, but he's never been dishonest before. He had to have known I would recognize the chicken scratch he calls handwriting."

Present Mic shrugged, "Maybe his mom is out of town and couldn't sign it? According to the records his dad is most likely not in the picture since all of his contact forms only have her on them. If that's the case he probably thought it wouldn't be a big deal to sign in her stead."

"I suppose, but I would expect someone like him to be honest with me. I would have offered to call her and take a verbal confirmation. I've already had to do that for a few students who don't have the time or money to have visited their families this past weekend. I'm going to have to call her now regardless," he added as he picked up his desk phone and dialed the boy's home telephone number first just to be sure. He'd called this phone number so many times it was committed to memory.

"Whatever floats your boat, man. If she's on a trip though she might be too busy to answer."

True to his assumption Inko Midoriya didn't answer either number provided on the emergency contact form. What set off flags for the teacher though was the response he got back from dialing the elder Midoriya's cell phone number.

 _"I'm sorry, but it appears this number has been disconnected. Goodbye."_

"She probably had to change numbers or got another phone," Present Mic waved off the other's concerns. "You worry too much, Shota! Just let the boy go on the field trip. I mean, you could talk to the little listener about forging the signature, but I don't think this warrants anything else."

Later Aizawa would kick himself for listening to Present Mic. He should have approached the boy about the incident right away, yet it took something more upsetting to bring the truth to light.

* * *

"Deku!"

Izuku jumped at Bakugo's shout. The blond was crossing the common room with a scowl on his face, cell phone in hand.

"Y-yes, Kacchan? What's up?"

"The old hag can't get a hold of your mom to talk to her. She's called your house a couple times the past few days and all she gets in an answering machine. Her cell phone number comes back saying it's disconnected. What gives?"

The other students on the lounge couldn't help but listen in. None of them figured out anything was wrong though, even as Izuku let out the most nervous chuckle they'd ever heard.

"Mom's been away from home because she's visiting family. Her cell phone died a couple weeks ago though, and she keeps putting off getting a new one."

Bakugo _almost_ bought it.

"Her birthday is in two days though, nerd. Are you telling me she's not going to be home by then? That would mean you would have no way of getting a hold of her either."

Izuku's eyes filled with sadness. His throat constricted as he bit out a "Yeah, it's really unfortunate, but at least she's happy." before getting up and leaving the room. To everyone's surprise Bakugo looked worried all of a sudden. More worried than any of his classmates could ever imagine him appearing. Kirishima voiced as much.

"Auntie Inko would never _not_ have a way of contacting Deku. She's too much of a worrier," he stated seriously. "And that means Deku is lying."

"Why would he lie, dude?" Kaminari voiced from where he and Sero were playing a video game at the television.

Mina hummed in agreement. "It does seem out of character for Midori to be dishonest."

"I have no clue what's going on," Bakugo said, "but if my old hag can't get a hold of her soon then I'll have to beat the truth out of him."

* * *

True to his word, one week later Bakugo had the perfect opportunity to do just that.

"One on one combat training, huh?" Izuku muttered as he looked at the chart All Might had posted. "I have to fight... Kacchan?"

Dread swept over him at the absolutely vicious smirk on his childhood friend's features.

"Hey, Deku!" The blond shouted across the ring. They were both in their P.E. uniforms, yet Bakugo still looked as intimidating as he did when he was in his hero costume. "If I win this you need to answer a question for me, you got it?"

"Kacchan, what're you—"

An explosion cut off his words and forced him to act. He would worry about what Bakugo could be talking about if he lost.

Sadly, it seemed fate wasn't on his side today. The fight had become intense much faster than either of them had expected at first. Bakugo never went easy, but Izuku was fighting with more passion than he had in the past couple of weeks. It was like he was unsure what would happen if he lost the fight.

"Die already!" Bakugo shouted during his final push. The blond was tired of playing around; he wanted answers, and he wanted them today.

Twisting expertly around while in midair, the boy used his explosions to blow Izuku up into the air before he grabbed his leg and threw him towards the ground. The greenette tried to right himself as he fell but to his horror he felt strong calloused hands gripping the back of his head while digging a knee into his back. Izuku was barely able to break his fall using his quick on his legs, and he still needed to cover his face with his arms to avoid breaking his nose.

A moment later he found his arms being twisted behind his back while Bakugo sat on him triumphantly.

"Looks like I win, nerd."

Izuku's heart plummeted.

* * *

"What did you want to know, Kacchan?" The greenette asked his childhood friend later that afternoon. Classes had just gotten out, but Bakugo wasn't about to let Izuku slink off to hide in his room. That meant they had made it look as if they were leaving individually only to come back into their classroom when all others had left.

The intensity of the blond's red-eyed gaze burned.

"Deku," he started with the most level tone he'd used in a long while, "where has Auntie Inko been?"

"I told you, she's been visiting family."

"Cut the crap. You told me that a week ago, and the excuse was barely passable as it was. Tell me what's really going on."

Izuku remained silent. Within seconds Bakugo's temper sparked, and he was pushing the other against the wall forcefully.

"Tell me, damn it! I know something's going on. My old hag went over to your house after work two days ago and no one answered. She visited again later that night and there was still no answer, so what gives? Is she in the hospital or something?"

"No."

 _"Deku."_

A hint of concern slipped into the word, and the trace of it made Izuku's breath hitch. His heart ached as he caught sight of Bakugo's red eyes. While they were filled with his usual anger and frustration there was an emotion on his face Izuku didn't often see.

Fear.

Izuku's mask cracked and shattered. He couldn't lie to him anymore.

"Kacchan," he started as his chin dropped to his chest, his entire form beginning to shake as tears welled up in his eyes. "M-mom left."

The fire left Bakugo's eyes in an instant like Izuku's tears had extinguished them. He released his hold on the other, lowering his arms and taking a step back.

"What do you mean she left? She's not…"

The younger shook his head. "She's alive and h-happy somewhere else."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"She couldn't take it anymore!" Izuku suddenly lashed out, his voice rough with emotion. "The day after everyone was visited by the teachers to see if we could live in the dorms she packed up her things and left. She said she couldn't live worrying about me any longer, and that leaving was the only option she could come up with to handle the pain. I tried to s-stop her," he hiccuped, "but even giving up my dream didn't change her mind. Now I don't even know where she is."

"Her phone, she disconnected it on purpose?"

He nodded while bringing an arm up to his eyes. Wetness soaked his skin immediately, his tears being a long way from running out.

"It's all my fault," Izuku continued brokenly. "Because I kept getting hurt, because I didn't pay enough attention to how she felt, because I didn't give up on my dream soon enough—"

"Deku, shut the hell up and look at me."

A hand gripped his shoulder tightly, but not painfully so. When Izuku was finally able to lower his arm so he could look at Bakugo he wasn't shocked to see his telltale glare.

"Who knows?"

Izuku gulped.

"Just you."

"You've got to be shitting me right now," the blond's grip hardened. "You haven't told Four-eyes and Round Face yet? What about All Might or the Ugly Ugly Caterpillar?"

 _Kacchan, you really need to rethink those nicknames._

"I didn't want to bother them. I'm fine, really."

"Bullshit! Don't lie to me, Deku; of course you're not fine! Talk to someone, you hear me? I don't care who but sooner or later U.A. is going to find out. Our classmates don't deserve a damn thing when it comes to an explanation, but you need to get this sorted out. This situation is messed up. I can't believe she'd just up and go like that," anger seethed into his voice. For a moment Izuku was in awe that such fury was directed at someone other than him. Then, he realized it was still his mother they were talking about.

"Are you going to tell your mom?"

Bakugo's eyes darkened. "Yeah. She's going to call you when I do though. I can wait a couple days until you're ready if you want, but she deserves to know. And once she knows she's going to track your mom down to give her a piece of her mind." With that the blond removed his hand, turning around and walking out of the classroom to leave the greenette standing there alone.

Izuku opened his mouth to tell him he didn't want that to happen even though Bakugo was well out the door, the conversation having made his mind sluggish. He was already so emotionally exhausted from the encounter it was all he could do to trudge back to the dorm.

He would bring this up to All Might tomorrow.

* * *

The impending conversation was throwing his entire day off. He'd been jittery since his first class, and his nerves were only worsening as the day went on. He should have known by the last class of the day that taking part in special move training was not something he should do without focus. Still, he found himself practicing a newly developed move while his mind raced about how to approach All Might. The man was standing off to the side discussing something with Aizawa at the moment.

Glancing over at the retired hero and his teacher, Izuku wasn't paying attention to Sato who was fighting Kirishima atop a rocky outcrop. He also didn't hear the warning that part of the rock formation was giving away.

"Midoriya, move!" Kirishima yelled just as a large amount of the outcrop detached from the rest of it.

The greenette finally seemed to shake out of it when the rock was already halfway down; however, the sound of engines filled his ears faster than he could react. A few seconds later Iida was standing next to a shaken Izuku with worry plain on his face.

"Midoriya," Iida started in concern, "you've been distracted all day, and you almost got hurt! You're putting yourself in unnecessary danger. What's going on?"

"Sorry, Iida-kun, I just…"

"You know you can talk to me, right?"

"I know. I promise I know that, but—"

Aizawa's stern voice cut him off.

"Midoriya, come here. All Might and I would like to discuss something with you."

Izuku gulped, half relieved he could get away from his friend and half terrified the adults noticed his screw up.

Sometime later Izuku found himself standing in an office space attached to the training building. All Might and Aizawa assured him the room was soundproof and that no one would be let in, which only raised the greenette's anxiousness.

"I'm really sorry for not paying attention back there," Izuku began apologetically. "Something was on my mind, but I promise it won't happen again."

All Might smiled slightly. "We understand it happens sometimes, my boy, but that's not entirely the reason we wanted to talk to you." The blond turned to his companion pointedly.

Aizawa stared at Izuku for a long moment. There was a mix of some very complicated emotions in the hero's eyes that Izuku couldn't decipher.

"Midoriya, I overheard what you told Bakugo yesterday."

Izuku froze.

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I was sleeping underneath the desk when you two walked in. I only woke up when Bakugo started yelling at you, but by that point it was too late for me to make myself known. I apologize for the invasion of your privacy. On the other hand, I have not informed All Might here of the situation. I was hoping you could do that. Perhaps then we could figure out where to go from here."

While he talked Izuku's breathing accelerated. For a moment it felt like he was going to have a panic attack, so he dropped to his knees with his teachers following him to the floor.

"My boy," All Might was practically begging. He'd been worried about Izuku ever since the semester had begun. Something was off about him, and the hero wanted nothing more than to fix the problem hurting the boy. "What happened?"

There was a long moment of silence. During this time Aizawa and All Might met each other's eyes a couple of times, remaining patient that the greenette kneeling between them would offer some sort of explanation. After nearly five minutes of concentrated breathing he did just that.

"She left."

Both teachers felt sick, Aizawa already having heard it once not making it any more pleasant to hear. He'd been expecting something was going on for weeks. Those two words more or less confirmed their worst fears.

"Young Midoriya," All Might questioned, his tone far gentler than he'd ever used. He didn't want to ask for specifics but he needed to know. "What do you mean by that?"

That was all it took to break the dam.

Tears fell from the boy's eyes like a profusely leaking faucet. His entire body began to shake as he attempted to gasp out what he knew he should have told them over a month ago. Not even the feeling of All Might's hand rubbing his back comfortingly was helping alleviate his anguish.

"Mom, she left," he repeated brokenly. "The day after she said I could live on campus I noticed her packing a suitcase. When I asked her about it she said she was going to be taking a trip to visit a friend, so it wasn't until that evening that I realized her behavior was odd. It was only because the photo of us together on her dresser was gone."

 _The empty picture frame sat on her bedside dresser oh so innocently. It had no idea that it hadn't been empty since the day after he was born._

 _"Mom!" He ran out of her room yelling, his voice raw with panic. Something was wrong. "Mom, where are you?"_

 _Crying answered his ears._

 _"I'm in the kitchen, Izuku." She called back half-heartedly just as he burst through the doorway._

 _Their emerald eyes met each other, both tearful._

 _"Mom, you're not going to visit a friend, are you?" The tiniest hint of a somber smile on her face was all the answer he needed. "Please, mom, why are you crying? Where are you going? What happened?"_

 _"I can't take it anymore, sweetie. I'm sorry."_

 _"W-what?"_

 _She closed her eyes like not looking at him was the only way for her to keep it together._

 _"After yesterday I realized there's no way to stop you from hurting yourself. Even if you hadn't stayed at U.A. you're bound to hurt yourself no matter where you go, because you're going to be a hero someday. You're actually already a hero, from what I heard, and while that makes me happy and proud I can't help the pain in my chest. It's gotten so bad these past months. I expected it to lessen up after hearing All Might's declaration to raise you to be the next symbol of peace." She paused when a couple tears passed through her closed eyes. "But it didn't, Izuku. It got worse."_

 _"Mom," Izuku stepped forward with an outstretched hand only to freeze when she looked up at him._

 _Her eyes were full of regret._

 _"I'm sorry, Izuku, but I can't take it anymore. I can't stay here anymore knowing you're going to destroy yourself. No matter the righteous cause I just can't take it, so I'm leaving."_

 _"L-leaving?" He parroted back dumbly. Was his hearing damaged?_

 _"Yes. I've arranged the bills so that they will all be paid automatically from your father's funds. There are notes on how to manage the account, keep track of the payments on the apartment among other bills, and so on should anything come up. I'm leaving the place to you so you can take care of yourself. The recipe for your favorite meal, katsudon, is among the notes I mentioned earlier. I taught you to cook, so—"_

 _"You can't be serious." The younger Midoriya cut her off. "Mom, I love you! You can't just… leave."_

 _She smiled sadly as more tears escaped. "Yes, I can. I've already been granted approval to switch to another office in a different city."_

 _"What city?"_

 _"I'd rather you didn't know. You'll try to find me one day, and you might very well succeed, which is why I'm going to ask that you don't seek me out. Can you promise me that?"_

 _"Of course not!"_

 _"Sweetie, please? For your mother?"_

 _Izuku dropped to his knees in despair. This was all because he wanted to be a hero and had hurt himself so badly his mother couldn't cope; this was all his fault._

 _"Mom, please!" He bowed his head, his hands curling into his knees so hard his nails broke skin. "I'll- I'll give up on being a hero altogether."_

 _"No you won't."_

 _"I will, I promise. I'll do anything if it means not losing you!"_

 _Inko shook her head._

 _"Even if you're telling the truth, I couldn't live with myself if I was the reason you gave up on your dream."_

 _"But you could live with yourself if you left?"_

 _"I'm honestly not even sure about that yet," she admitted sadly. After a moment she looked at the clock on the microwave and stood up in alarm. Izuku waited for her to say more, but instead she merely got up and rushed to the door. It was only after she'd slipped her shoes on that he noticed two bags by the door waiting for her._

 _This was happening. She was going to leave._

 _"Mom," he begged one more time. "I love you. I love you! Please don't do this."_

 _"I'm sorry, Izuku, but this is the only way. I love you too. And if you truly love me you won't stop or follow me. You're going to be a fine hero one day. Maybe sometime in the future we'll both be strong enough and I'll see you again. Until then," she stated quietly while placing a kiss on her son's head, "allow All Might to raise you in my stead. I trust him to raise you better than I ever could."_

 _"M-mom," he sobbed grossly. "Please."_

 _She turned around and opened the door._

 _"Goodbye, sweetie."_

 _The door shut a second later, and Izuku wondered if his neighbors could hear his wails. They would surely hear his cries the next day when he tried to call his mother only to find out her number was no longer in service. She'd disconnected her phone, the last means Izuku had to contact her._

Once he'd recounted the story he stopped talking. The only sounds in the room were the sounds of his hiccups; All Might and Aizawa were speechless.

Then, all at once, rage sparked in the underground hero's eyes.

"Midoriya," he started while placing his hand on the boy's shoulder. All Might leaned back slightly so Izuku could turn to face the shaggy-haired man. "Midoriya, you must know that what happened isn't your fault."

The boy's eyes shut tightly.

"I d-don't believe that."

"Young Midoriya, please. If it's anyone's fault it's my own." All Might stated regretfully. "I was the one that failed in my teaching. I should have trained you better, protected you longer. It is because of me that—"

"You're both wrong." Aizawa cut in tersely. "The fault lies in no one but his mother. She was the one that chose to leave. She abandoned you."

Izuku shook his head. "You don't understand! She's spent her entire life raising me on her own, watching me get hurt since I was four. Her nerves have gotten worse over the years. Her chest aches when I make her worry too much; there's nothing doctor's could do but tell her to get away from her stressors. One of those stressors just happens to be me. _Please_ don't get her in trouble. She didn't… abandon me. She was taking care of herself."

His homeroom teacher seemed just as mad as before, but All Might remained calm.

"We'll figure something out. In the case of a missing, deceased, or negligent parent guardianship is transferred temporarily to the student's homeroom teacher as per the most recent U.A. contract. Unless, of course, you have other family members willing to take you in?"

"My father works abroad. He wouldn't be able to care for me without losing his job, and he's an orphan so there's no family on that side. My mom's family is either in America or has passed away. I don't want to leave Japan though, All Might. I can't."

"I don't want you to either, which leaves us with the options of locating your mother and hoping she chooses to come back rather than face charges for leaving you, emancipating you which would prove to be a struggle without getting your mother involved, or…" The retired hero looked Aizawa for a long moment. "Or your homeroom teacher can assume temporary guardianship until you turn eighteen. That would be up to the both of you though."

Izuku met Aizawa's eyes with his own widening ones. They appraised each other for so long All Might was going to tell the greenette he could have time to think it over after school, but to his surprise Aizawa spoke first.

"That's in roughly two year, right? I suppose I can watch over one of my problem children for that long."

"Really?" Izuku couldn't help but ask. "But I'm already a handful as a student. Are you sure you really want to assume responsibility of me?"

 _If my own mom couldn't handle me, why would you want me?_

"I'd be honored to have you," he answered with complete seriousness. It made Izuku want to weep, but luckily he held it at bay. "I hope you don't mind cats though. I have a lot of them. Also, Present Mic and Midnight like to visit unexpectedly. All Might moved in next door to me last week too, so beware of him coming over for meals most nights. He can't cook to save his life apparently."

"Hey!"

Izuku felt laughter bubbling up. At the same time he felt the urge to cry again. Their kindness was overwhelming.

"I'd really like that," he finally said. "Thank you, Aizawa-sensei, All Might."

The shaggy-haired man shook his head. "Just call me Aizawa outside class, kid. It's going to be weird hearing it at home otherwise."

"And call me Toshinori," All Might added. "It'd be bad if anyone heard you calling me by my hero name outside the gates. Don't want to attract too much extra attention, right my boy?"

"Yeah, you're right."

The three of them stood up then, Izuku feeling embarrassed that he'd cried all over All Might. It was obvious by the large wet spot on his shirt. Nevertheless, the retired hero laughed it off.

"Nothing a change in shirt won't fix. Why don't we head back to the main school building together? We'll both change and we can get take a short trip off campus. There's this new ice cream shop I've been wanting to try called…"

Izuku listened to All Might describe the ice cream shop they'd be visiting fondly. He remembered something his mother had said.

 _I trust All Might to raise you better than I ever could._

She was wrong, so wrong. No one could ever replace her. As he thought about the conviction his homeroom teacher spoke with when offering to care for him though, All Might's smaller but fatherly gestures also entering his mind, he decided maybe he could make it through this. Maybe things would be okay.

"Young Midoriya, are you in there? You're staring into space and it's a little disconcerting."

Izuku snapped out of his thoughts, a sheepish smile rising to his face.

"Sorry! I'm listening, I promise!"

"Well hello there 'listening, I promise', I'm All Might."

The greenette's jaw dropped.

 _Did he just made a dad joke?_

* * *

AN#2: Before anyone asks, the next chapter which continues the last one (Izuku and All Might's secret being exposed to the world) will be out in a few days. I wanted to post this one first because the next one showcases best mom Inko whereas in this one she's... not the best mom. Basically I had the idea of "what if Inko got fed up with her son hurting himself/what if she physically couldn't handle it anymore?" and this happened. I love Inko I really do; I cried writing this. Sorry if this chapter upset anyone, but I really wanted to do it since it's pretty rare in this fandom.


	8. Izuku is exposed (2)

AN: Eighth chapter: the second part of Izuku is exposed! So much Dad!Aizawa and best mom Inko (in apologies for the last chapter, which I will probably also do a follow up to at a later date). I honestly may do a third part to this but I have a few other ideas I'm in the middle of writing so it'd be a lil' bit. Anyway, enjoy~

* * *

Inko Midoriya, like many other citizens, had been asleep during All Might's final fight. After spending the last few days losing sleep over worrying for her son's health this would be the first night she could sleep easier knowing her boy had finally woken up after being unconscious for days. Who could blame her for allowing herself to turn in early for the night after what had happened? Because of this though, all life-changing news being revealed on live television about the number one hero and her son went by without her knowledge.

Until her longtime friend woke her up, that is.

"Mitsuki?" The green-haired woman yawned as she answered her cell phone. "Is everything okay? Did the police find Katsu—"

"Don't tell me you've been in bed this entire time!"

Inko blinked the sleep from her eyes. "I'm sorry, but I don't understand what's—"

"Inko," the elder Bakugo's voice cut her off. The absolutely serious tone snapped the previously resting woman to attention. "I need you to go to a computer right now. Don't ask me any questions, just follow my instructions. Okay?"

"Mitsuki, you're worrying me."

"It'll be easier for you to see it rather than have me explain it. Just go to the computer and search for…"

A minute later Inko sat in front of a computer watching the news from not even twenty minutes prior. Mitsuki stayed silent on the other line as the elder Midoriya watched the newscast with horror, then relief, and finally awe at what had taken place.

"My baby is All Might's successor?" She asked herself more than Mitsuki. "That explains how his quirk appeared so late despite the test results, and also tells me why it's really so different than Hisashi's and mine. He kept it a secret from me though."

"I'm sure he didn't lie to hurt anyone. That quirk is All Might's secret as much as his own, and we both know your boy wouldn't betray his hero. Furthermore, I think it would have been better if it had stayed a secret. A quirk that powerful that can be given willingly to another will mean nothing but trouble for the kid."

Inko shivered. "He's already getting hurt so often. If more…" She paused. "Mitsuki? There's beeping coming from your end. I think you have another call."

"Yeah I do. Let me take it really quick," she said before putting the other woman on hold.

Barely a minute later the call was resumed.

"They found Katsuki."

The greenette was ecstatic. "That's excellent! Are you going to pick him up from the police station?"

"He's being driven back along with some representatives from U.A. and the police force. He's completely uninjured, thank God. That means I can punch him for getting kidnapped and making me worried out of my mind."

"Mitsuki! That's no way to welcome him home."

She could just feel the other woman rolling her eyes at her.

"Inko, I love ya, but I'm going to punch him. It's how I show affection. I'll give him hugs and kisses after that though if it makes you feel better."

"We really need to discuss…" Her brows furrowed in surprise when the home phone started ringing. She left the other room and rushed towards it, already gearing to get off of her cell phone for the time being. "I'm sorry, but can I call you back? Someone is calling the house and I feel like it must be important."

Just as she finished talking she could make out the caller ID.

"It's one of Izuku's teachers," she told Mitsuki.

"All right, girl. Call me back after okay?"

"Of course! Bye."

With that she hung up her cell phone, answering the house phone on the fifth ring.

"Midoriya residence," she answered, "who may I ask is calling?"

A gruff voice answered her, the sound of traffic in the background. "Inko Midoriya, correct? This is your son's homeroom teacher, Shota Aizawa, otherwise known as Eraserhead."

"I remember your voice. You called after the incident at camp."

"I did."

"Are you calling about what happened on the news earlier? Izuku should be safe in the hospital if that's what you're worried about, but I thought his teachers already knew he won't be discharged until tomorrow."

There was a deep sigh from the other line. "About that. I'm calling regarding your son's whereabouts tonight."

* * *

It was hours later when Aizawa arrived at the Midoriya residence. With a much more calmed down yet still apprehensive Izuku, the two of them were greeted by a fretting Inko.

"Izuku!" She cried before enveloping her son in a hug.

The boy melted into the embrace, his once dried up tears being joined by new ones. "Mom, I'm so sorry—"

"Sweetie, it's okay. I saw what happened on the news. While I'm upset you couldn't tell me, I understand why you had to keep everything a secret."

"I wanted to tell you," he tried to start once more, but his mother tightened her hold on him.

"Izuku, it's fine. All Might trusted you to keep his secret. I would be a poor mother to say I'm not happy that you kept your word to him."

Internally, Izuku winced. He wasn't planning on bringing up the Bakugo mishap but he still felt the stab of guilt. Luckily his mother couldn't see the brief look of regret cloud his eyes before she pulled away.

Smiling, the woman turned to Izuku's homeroom teacher. "Thank you for bringing him home."

"It was nothing; however, there is another reason I am here. Why don't we sit down somewhere to discuss it?"

Inko nodded. "Of course. I made some tea if you'd like some, by the way. Would you like a cup?"

"If you don't mind, thank you."

A moment later the three of them were sitting at the dining room table. The teacher watched his student bring two cups of hot tea to the table in a far more graceful manner than he usually did in class. Aizawa grabbed his cup and took a sip appreciatively just at the elder Midoriya sat down.

"What did you want to discuss?" She inquired politely.

Aizawa pulled out his phone so he could bring up the text he'd gotten from Principal Nedzu during the long drive back.

"U.A. has already been planning a dormitory initiative for students before the events of tonight. Teachers were scheduled to visit the homes of the students to apologize for what happened at the training camp, ask forgiveness, and promise safety to their students by having them live on campus in the new constructed housing units. After what has been revealed tonight, on the other hand, Nedzu has a proposal for the both of you. It was brought up to me because we're aware that due to the nature of your son's quirk he will most likely be targeted heavily by villains and civilians alike. The fact that he's All Might's successor is just the icing on the cake."

He paused for a moment, Inko staring at him in rapt attention all the while.

"If you would allow it, U.A. has offered to provide housing along with anything else you may need in order to make sure you stay safe as well, Mrs. Midoriya."

Izuku's jaw dropped.

"What?"

"On my," Inko mumbled to herself as the new information. Here she had been planning on taking Izuku out of U.A. because of everything that had happened, but now thinking about it U.A. might be the only way to insure she and her son were safe.

The underground hero blinked tiredly. "The dormitories are being constructed as we speak, and they should be completed within the next three or four days. Izuku would be living with his classmates in their own building. You," he spoke directly to Inko, "would get your own unit in the small apartment building they are constructing for the staff and important visitors. You would still be able to leave campus as you please with the addition of a hero escort to make sure no one bothers you. They could dress as casually as you want if you desired to be discreet, or if you wish for them to be in full gear that is fine too. A preference for who it is could be discussed as well. Either way, you would only be a short walk away from the main school building and your son's dorm. If this isn't something you want to do I understand, but we recommend an in-home body guard of sorts or a small police force to be arranged outside the building. Everyone in the world knows your son's name from the sports festival so it wouldn't be hard for them to find you."

A deep sigh. "I know this isn't ideal, and I apologize for the trouble All Might has apparently caused by choosing your son as his successor, but I hope you can make a decision that will make you happy despite the circumstances."

There was silence for a little bit after that. Then:

"Aizawa, was it?" A slender hand being placed on his startled him. He brought his eyes back up to see a small but sincere smile on the woman's face. "I already know what I'm going to do."

The man raised an eyebrow while Izuku looked at his mother in confusion. "What is that?"

"Izuku is the most important piece of my life. I would do anything to protect him. While I don't approve of him hurting himself during his time at U.A., All Might's speech made me realize how much my little boy has grown in all of the adversity the world's thrown at him. After everything that's happened I want him to be the hero I know he already is, so because of that I will happily consent to us being moved to U.A.'s campus."

The younger greenette, to Aizawa's horror, started crying _again_. How did he even have any tears left?

"Mom." He stated with a voice full of emotion. "Thank you!"

Aizawa cleared his throat.

"If that's the case, then I suggest you two get some sleep. I'll remain here on guard duty until the afternoon when Nedzu will be sending some other hero and a moving truck to assist with the adjustment. My guess is on Ectoplasm. Whoever it ends up being though will also help get everything brought up to the apartment. Midoriya," he turned to Izuku, "you will be staying with your mother for a couple of days until the dormitories are completed. Is this okay with both of you?"

Mother and son turned to each other and smiled. They nodded simultaneously.

* * *

In the time before the second semester began, Izuku spent a lot of time with his mother.

For one, he told her about everything that had happened to him since his first meeting with All Might. He'd learned the hard way that not telling her anything other than the bare minimum about his life made him feel awful. She deserved the truth, and except for omitting that he and his classmates were the ones to best the hero killer he told her everything. She hung on every word he said, occasionally interjecting to scold him or to give herself a moment to compose herself. When he got to the part about how he'd have to face All For One's apparent successor, Tomura Shigaraki, one day she finally told him to she needed a break.

 _"I love you sweetie, but if I hear anything else before a relaxing cup of tea I very well might faint."_

 _"Sorry, mom!"_

There was also the talk he'd shared with his homeroom teacher.

 _"Midoriya, I owe you an apology."_

 _Izuku stared at the underground hero completely baffled._

 _"You are a bright student," he continued. "I must admit I didn't recognize it at the beginning. When I first saw your destructive actions in the entrance exam I thought you were just someone born with power but not the resolve to master it. During the quirk assessment test you proved me wrong. You, who appeared to be a timid fanboy whose quirk would quite possibly ruin his body before he even got through his first year of high school, showed me that you were an analytical mind that embodies many of the best traits of heroism. Despite your self-sacrificial tendencies, stubbornness, and emotional personality you're a passionate kid who truly wishes to help people. You don't give up. You push yourself and you genuinely care about others, and that gives you endless potential. I told you I wouldn't treat you any differently than your classmates, and I meant that, yet before I keep to my word I felt you deserved to hear this. Had I known All Might was your teacher and had chosen to pass his quirk down to you on the day of the entrance exam, leaving you to figure it out in the middle of a battle against giant robots, I would have pulled him aside and let him have it. That man is horrendous at teaching."_

 _Izuku thought of the first battle exercise and the final exam last semester. Okay,_ maybe _Aizawa had a point._

 _"Anyway, had I been told of your situation I would have made sure you received the proper quirk counseling usually provided to students in their younger years. It's not too late to start now, of course, especially now that the secret is out. Perhaps Nedzu could help you uncover ways to improve your control, or lessen the damage it causes your body."_

 _"The principal is the quirk advisor?"_

 _Aizawa nodded. "He is, and I believe talking to him would do you some good. As it is, problem child, this discussion is basically over. I just wanted you to know I look forward to your progress from here on out, and that U.A. is here to provide you the help you'll need. All Might always tried to do things alone in a way of lessening others' burdens. Be better than him, and come to us every once in a while. We're here for you."_

 _"Okay, Aizawa-sensei. I will." The greenette responded with a serious look on his face before it softened into one of his usual bright smiles. "And thank you."_

Honestly, Izuku had been pulled aside by nearly every teacher at U.A. after what was being dubbed "The Big Reveal". Nedzu had instructed them to treat him as they usually did, but because so many of them were fans of All Might and felt kinship with their colleague approaching Izuku had been a must. Every single one of his teachers assured him of his safety and that they would do their best to prepare him to follow in All Might's footsteps.

Their expectations of him were starting to get to him though. He did his best to push those thoughts to the side, but he knew he'd need to talk to someone about the growing feeling of doubt sometime soon.

* * *

Then came the day his classmates would be moving into the dorm with him.

"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?" Inko asked her son as he prepared to leave. It was only a five minute walk from her apartment to class 1-A's Alliance Heights, so she wouldn't mind. "I know you're going to have a lot of explaining to do since you decided you want to tell them the truth. If you want me there for support, then I'd be happy to join you."

Izuku shook his head.

"Thank you, mom, but this is something I want to do on my own. Aizawa-sensei will be there if I need anyone, and I'll be fine knowing you and All Might are nearby."

"As long as you're sure, dear. Oh, by the way, when will you be visiting next? You'll be staying in your room permanently now, and I'll be busy during the day working under Principal Nedzu, so it might get a little hard to..."

She trailed off as Izuku started laughing, and after a moment she joined in.

"What am I saying? Oh sweetie, I'll see you every day after classes, right?"

"Of course. You're literally on the way back to the dorms. I'll probably eat dinner here most nights too, since I'll already be spending most of the day with my classmates or doing homework anyway. Maybe you could join us for dinner at the dorms sometimes?"

Inko's eyes shined with excitement.

"That would be lovely. I've wanted to meet your friends for the longest time anyway. You're sure they wouldn't mind?"

"They'll love you, mom."

After a few more words Izuku said goodbye. Within minutes he was standing before the dormitory nearly shaking from nerves. One part of him was excited to see his friends, and another was nervous about how they were going to treat him after learning the truth. What if—

"Hey there, problem child." The teacher suddenly appeared behind him, having walked out of the dormitory itself after some last minute checks. "I can tell you're panicking; stop that. The chances that any of your classmates are going to be upset or angry because of you are exceedingly low. I already talked with them one on one about what happened in Kamino, so don't worry about me making them dejected by talking about almost expelling the lot of you here."

Izuku winced at that. Aizawa was the bluntest person he knew, and he spoke with Tsuyu on a semi-regular basis.

"Yes, Aizawa-sensei."

The older man rolled his eyes. A second later Izuku felt a hand resting on his head. It moved from the front of his head to the back, the motion of which calmed him somewhat. When it kept repeating more than a couple times though, Izuku gazed at his teacher curiously.

"Are you, um, petting me?"

"It seems to cheer my cats up. Why?"

"Oh, uh, no reason."

The greenette suddenly felt concerned for his homeroom teacher, but chalked it up to him being a little socially awkward. He meant well after all. Izuku also couldn't say he didn't enjoy the gesture either.

They waited there for several more minutes until buses began to come into view from outside the gate. Soon after each of the buses was arriving at one of the dormitories, the one that held the other nineteen class 1-A students in it coming to a stop a little ways from the front of the building. Izuku waited tensely as the door opened, his classmates piling out within seconds. Naturally Uraraka was the first one out with Iida on her heels; the former tackled Izuku while Iida stood close by.

"Deku-kun! Aizawa-sensei told us you wouldn't be able to contact anyone during break, but even though he told us you were okay we need to make sure for ourselves!" She shouted before letting him go with a small blush on her face.

"I'm fine, really." Izuku responded. "My mom and I changed phone numbers in order to make sure no one on the outside would have our contact information. My mom's already sent hers out to a few trusted friends, but I was planning on sending it to the group chat tonight since I wanted to wait until after I talked to everyone in person. There are some things I have to say," he finished as the rest of the class walked up to where the rest of them were.

Aizawa called them to attention.

"Listen up. I'm going to give you a quick tour of the building, and once I'm done you can bother Midoriya however much you want. I know he wants to talk to you all as a group though so it'd be in your best interest to wait until after I've showed you around."

 _"Yes, sensei!"_

So the class was shown the various features of the building. Many of the students were in awe at the amenities (Uraraka, Kirishima, and Kaminari to name a few) while others didn't react much (mainly Bakugo, Todoroki, and Tokoyami). By the end of the short tour the group was back in the common area, each of them waiting to be handed the envelope that held their room assignment and key.

"Alright, you all have the rest of the day to settle in. Tomorrow morning there are no classes since it is still the weekend, but there will be an assembly at ten o'clock sharp. You'll meet in homeroom fifteen minutes prior so we can head there together. Don't be late."

With that Aizawa told them he was going to take a nap. He told Iida and Yaoyorozu to contact him if there were any problems, although the two model students promised to solve what they could before contacting him. On the way out the door he sent a meaningful look to Izuku.

 _It's going to be okay._

Izuku took a deep breath and smiled.

Yes he was scared, but he knew what to do in the face of fear. Smile.

"Hey, everyone. I have some things I need to tell you..."

* * *

First he explained that he was diagnosed quirkless at the age of four.

"I have the toe joint and everything."

"Dude, really?" Kirishima questioned. "I can only imagine how people treated you wanting to be a hero without having a quirk. This kid Mina and I went to middle school with was quirkless and she got picked on quite a bit. That's totally manly though, Midoriya!"

Izuku chuckled awkwardly. "Thanks, Kirishima-kun. It was pretty tough growing up. When the doctor told me to forget about developing a quirk my mom and I were devastated; no one thought I could ever be a hero if I was quirkless."

He went on to tell them about walking home one evening (purposely leaving out the events of his school life) and encountering the sludge villain.

"You almost died!" Mina exclaimed.

"That's insane," Kaminari agreed.

Bakugo narrowed his eyes. "You mean you ran into the bastard that tried to kill me too?"

Izuku nodded sheepishly. "Yeah... All Might saved me from him before he could suffocate me, but the bottles the villain was put in were dropped later. When we, uh, went flying."

 _"What?"_

Izuku placated his classmates' cries by telling them about the reckless stunt he'd pulled.

"Midoriya, that was highly dangerous!" Iida reprimanded.

"And stupid," Sero put bluntly.

"I think that's exactly something he'd do." Todoroki commented with a shrug. "I'm not very surprised, to be honest."

From there he told them about everything that happened on the roof. They kept quiet during the part about learning All Might's secret, but they couldn't hold back from reacting to learning that All Might had crushed his dreams.

"No way," Uraraka stated sadly. "I can't believe he said that."

"He had a point, ribbit." Tsuyu said. "Still, I can't say that I would have put it that way. That must have hurt."

Izuku nodded with a pained smile on his face.

"It hurt more than any injury I've sustained so far; however..."

He told them about the incident with Bakugo, the entire class listening in suspense with the exception for Bakugo who walked out of the room. The blond only came back a few minutes later when Kirishima had gone after him.

"He's done telling us about the sludge villain now, bro. C'mon."

"Whatever, Hair-for-brains."

Needless to say he returned for the final pieces of his origin story.

"…and after he told me I could be a hero, he told me about One For All. He told me he believed I could be his successor. I said yes."

 _"Bullshit."_

Abruptly Bakugo got up once again, his face strangely pale despite the angry look on his face. He left the room warning Kirishima to leave him alone.

"Don't worry about him, Deku-kun." Uraraka said. "He's probably just jealous."

Izuku shook his head. While he couldn't discern what exactly was wrong with his childhood friend he knew for a fact it wasn't because of envy. If he had to guess the closest emotion he could decipher on the blond's face had been guilt.

What was Bakugo guilty about though?

"Anyway," Jiro broke in, "your story is crazy, you know that? Honestly the only reason it's even believable is because of what All Might and that villain said."

The greenette flushed. "Yeah, I get that."

"How did he pass his quirk down to you?" Yaoyorozu was suddenly asking.

"Um, I'd rather not—"

Sato's face became horrified. "That's right! It had to be transferred by some form of DNA."

The remaining eighteen classmates stared at Izuku expectantly.

"Do you really need to know?"

Shouts of "yes" and "absolutely" met his ears. He groaned.

"You guys are cruel," he muttered to himself before becoming more composed. "After training my body by clearing a beach of trash for several months straight so my body wouldn't explode due to the introduction of the quirk, All Might had me eat a piece of his hair the morning of the entrance exam."

"No way, Midori!"

"He waited until the day of the exam? That seems like it would have been way too risky, ribbit."

"Oh my god, that means the first time you used your quirk was taking down the zero pointer and saving me, wasn't it? Deku-kun!"

"Dude, you ate a piece of his hair? That's nasty."

"Lay off, man! He got a quirk out of it. Also that means All Might would have had to do the same thing in the past."

"That just makes it so much weirder. He'd have to have traces of like eight other peoples' DNA in him."

The boy in question just sighed. Where was Aizawa-sensei when he needed him?


	9. Izuku is paralyzed

AN: Ninth chapter: my take on what could have happened if Muscular had been somewhere else during the camping trip attack. I honestly think most heroes as well as the students wouldn't have been able to fair well against him seeing as his speed and strength is similar to All Might's. I also wanted to try my hand at writing a more realistic outcome to Izuku being attacked by the maniac; I was re-watching the fight scene between them and I swear if this weren't a shounen anime he'd be dead. This is basically a drabble/filler until I can finish a few other new one-shots and continuation to Exposed and Abandoned.

* * *

The test of courage was about to begin when a hulking figure as big as Tiger lumbered into the clearing.

"Is that guy part of the test?" Hagakure asked.

Next to her Jiro shivered. "I don't think so. He's muttering something about getting to have fun, but it sounds wrong."

Shoji got into a fighting stance. "Mandalay," he said urgently, "he's saying something under his breath about Shigaraki. It seems like he isn't the only villain here. He's also muttering something about... murdering us."

Mandalay narrowed her eyes, but her and her colleagues seemed spooked. The students of class 1-A not in remedial lessons stared at the hulking mass stepping into the clearing with unease.

"Everyone," Pixie-Bob said in a commanding voice, "head back to the lodge. Villains have most likely infiltrated the camp."

"You're right! But those kids aren't going anywhere, kitty-cat."

Suddenly the ground was shaking, the villain growing large red muscles that allowed him to propel himself across the clearing in no time flat. He'd sent Pixie-Bob flying into a nearby tree in a matter of seconds. When she hit the ground she was out cold.

 _Attention students,_ Mandalay broadcasted telepathically with her quirk as the villain turned towards her and Tiger, _there is a villain on camp grounds. There is a chance he is connected to another villain named Shigaraki, who is the apparent leader of the League of Villains. Please stay on high alert and with a teacher at the lodge; we do not know if there are more. The sighted villain goes by the name of Muscular. He has a quirk allows him to-_

She was forced to break off her message when Muscular came crashing towards her, only getting out of the way because Tiger had blocked the attack. She was still sent rolling, her claws scraping the ground as she watched her friend spit out blood.

"Tiger!" Her voice carried both vocally and telepathically. _Eraserhead,_ she sent out desperately, _we could use your help out here! Muscular's quirk makes him almost as strong as All Might; if you canceled it out for even a few seconds then we would be able to—_

A punch to the gut had her tumbling to the ground. She rolled across the clearing trying to get purchase, but before she could her back made contact with a tree. A gasp escaped her as pain raced up and down her spine before she collided with the ground.

"I thought cats always landed on their feet?" The villain cackled as he turned towards the students. "Now let's see... ah, there you are! Bakugo, right? I've been told to collect you."

The blond in question took a moment to look surprised before his face morphed into a terrifying grin.

"Collect me? I'd like see you try, asshole."

"Kacchan," Izuku started worriedly. If he did something stupid like rushing at the villain as he'd done at the USJ he knew it wouldn't end well.

"Wait a minute," Muscular said, realization dawning in his voice. His real and fake eye was both revealed as he threw the mask and cape shrouding his identity to the side. A deranged smirk split his face. "You're that Midoriya kid. Shigaraki put you at the top of tonight's kill list. Do you know what that means?"

Izuku's classmates didn't even have time to scatter before the man was tearing through them, a red arm connecting painfully with the greenette's middle. He was sent flying into a tree much like the others, a strangled cry on his lips as he activated his quirk just in time to kick back off of it. By the time he managed to land on his feet though, Muscular was already there to kick him right back across the field where he'd come. Izuku braced himself for another nasty tumble when a slope of ice appeared to send him flying into the air where Shoji then caught him.

"Midoriya, are you okay?"

"Shoji? Yeah, I'm fine."

They landed just in time to see Bakugo hurtling towards the villain using his explosions. Todoroki was also in the fray, trying to freeze the villain in place without hitting Yaoyorozu, Uraraka, and Tsuyu who were trying to assist Bakugo by making small explosives and flash-bombs, floating them, and flinging them at the guy. Iida was running around collecting the fallen pussycats.

"Koda and Mineta, can you two take Tiger back to the lodge? Alert the teachers and other students as to what is going on. Hagakure and Jiro, if you could do the same with Pixie-Bob." He turned to Mandalay, who sat on the ground clutching her stomach in pain. "Mandalay, are you well enough for Aoyama and Ojiro to escort you back to the lodge for medical attention? Your ribs are most likely bruised or broken, and if there is internal bleeding..."

He trailed off when he realized her eyes were closed in concentration.

 _Kota,_ she projected even though her head spun, _wherever you are, please get back to the lodge. There are villains here and you're in danger. Please be careful! Find heroes, find anyone, just please stay safe! We love you,"_ her thoughts slurred as the pounding in her skull grew. She definitely had a concussion.

A loud crack drew everyone's attention. The iceberg-size slope of ice Todoroki had created to contain Muscular had been shattered, the man's quirk having sent a massive crack down the middle that sent the ice crumbling.

"Nice try pretty boy, but you're not very high on the kill list. My fun here's with him first and foremost," the blond grinned before turning his focus on Izuku.

"What the hell? Your fight is with us you bastard!" Bakugo screamed as he charged the villain, Todoroki quickly going to back him up.

The villain laughed. "Easy there, Bakugo! I'll get to handing you over to Shigaraki after I've spilled some more blood."

"Eat shit, asshole!"

Unfortunately, Muscular had been going easy up until now. That meant once they were close enough to the villain he used his enhanced muscles to get in close before they could even blink an eye. In an instant they were both sent crashing through the nearby underbrush and out of sight.

"Kacchan! Todoroki!" Izuku cried out, a glare enveloping his face as he activated Full Cowling. "Leave them alo—"

Muscular was in front of him before he could finish, meaty hand wrapping around his throat painfully. Iida tried to intervene with a Reciproburst as his classmates escaped the clearing with the pussycats. The rescue attempt ended with him being knocked away like he was nothing but a bug. This caused the class rep to grit his teeth and run out of the clearing, his intent to locate their homeroom teacher to help. Continuing to fight would end with him being rendered useless like the other two that had fought the villain.

Shoji and Tokoyami had run off in search of Bakugo and Todoroki, neither of their quirks being well equipped to fight at the moment (it was far too dark to allow Dark Shadow to appear).

"What was that? Leave them alone? Sure, kid, I'll do just that. I can't promise what I'll do after I've finished painting the ground with your blood."

And then the villain was picking him up by his neck, making the teenager choke at the lack of oxygen as he used a One for All powered punch to get him to let go. His fist connected with the villain's arm. To his horror the muscle merely absorbed the blow, and Muscular took the opportunity to swing Izuku to the ground like a ragdoll.

"Deku-kun!" Uraraka screamed from afar, starting to rush forward only to be pulled back by Tsuyu's tongue.

"There's nothing you can do right now, ribbit. Our quirks can't do much against that kind of power. When Aizawa-sensei gets here he can cancel his quirk to even the playing field, but until then we need to stay away at least until some of the heavy hitters of the class can jump back in."

Yaoyorozu shook her head, an idea forming. "Heavy hitters? Give me just a moment."

Meanwhile Izuku was pushing his quirk past his limits.

 _He's too fast. With that quirk he's faster than Kacchan and I by a lot, almost like All Might. He's also almost as strong as him. What weaknesses does he have? His eye. If I could just do something that would impair his vision... no, that wouldn't be heroic. I can't risk blinding him. What do I do?_

He decided in the next moment as Muscular was rushing towards him to risk a 100% punch.

"Let me see your blood!"

The villain's deranged face was less than a couple inches away when Izuku yelled back.

 _"Smash!"_

Muscular went flying backwards towards the tree-line. A pained groan escaped the greenette as the bones in his arm shattered, the entire arm turning a dark brown color. It hung more or less limp at his side as he stared at the now broken trees where Muscular laid.

Then Uraraka was running over to him.

"Deku-kun!" She shouted, already halfway to him.

Tsuyu noticed something was wrong though. "Guys, watch out! He isn't down!"

Izuku's heart skipped a beat when he realized Muscular was standing back up, only a couple muscles having been scratched. They were woven brand new a second later.

"Nice punch, kid. It actually took me by surprise. But that ain't enough to hurt me," he chuckled. He was preparing to charge now. "I wonder how long you can keep up before I kill you. Before that, however," he said while launching himself forwards and towards Uraraka, "this little girl needs to get out of my way!"

Yaoyorozu's weapon was nearly complete when he yelled this, but it wouldn't be done it time. All she could do was stare as Tsuyu threw out her tongue in a feeble attempt to grab Uraraka before the villain reached her. She wouldn't be fast enough though. She wasn't close enough. The only one close enough to do anything was...

Izuku upped Full Cowling until his muscles and nerves were burning. It wasn't enough to break all of his bones, but there was enough power for him to spin around and wrap his arms around Uraraka. Said arms held her tightly against his chest as Muscular's latest punch hit him in the middle of his back with the force of a freight train. The impact of the hit made him black out as they were sent rolling across the clearing. The villain was about to follow them to get in another hit, but in the split second he used to land Yaoyorozu's cannon fired.

A net made of the strongest alloy in existence wrapped around the villain and shrunk. When it did he found himself immobilized, his screams of rage echoing throughout the forest. They didn't last long though. Tsuyu had thrown the tranquilizer Yaoyorozu had created at his form gladly, the needle sinking deep into his muscle. Within seconds the red muscle fibers receded and he remained immobile inside the net.

"Ochaco!" Tsuyu ran to where her friend was pushing herself up. "Are you injured?"

The brunette smiled shakily. "I'm fine! Just a few scrapes. Deku-kun, how's your—"

She cut herself off as she took notice of her friend. Izuku was lying on his side using his one good arm and even his broken arm to push himself up slightly. He stared in mute terror at his lower body as if something was horribly wrong.

Which there was.

"Midoriya," Yaoyorozu said while the three girls made to crouch at his side. "You took quite a few hits. Other than your arm where are you injured?"

She was already putting his arm in a self-made splint when he answered in a voice racked with fear.

"I c-can't feel my legs. My back, when he hit my back, there was a burst of pain and it went black for a couple seconds. When I was aware of myself again, everything from the waist down was n-numb."

"That can't be right," Uraraka tried, her voice shaking as tears escaped her. "Try moving them again. Please, try again."

Izuku felt himself start crying too. In fact Tsuyu and Yaoyorozu joined him.

"I'm trying right now, but there's nothing. My back feels like it's being stabbed." His raw voice quieted into soft sniffles. They all watched his legs as if staring at them would make them move again, yet there wasn't so much as a twitch. "I'm glad you didn't get hurt though, Uraraka-chan. It was worth it."

Uraraka shook her head frantically. "N-no it wasn't! And what're you talking like that f-for? We're going to get you to a hospital or Recovery Girl, and then..."

Her words died in her throat. They all knew from Iida's brother than injuries like this couldn't be fixed.

They all stayed there crying silently for several moments longer. Just as Yaoyorozu was going to ask her friends to help lift Izuku up though, a bleeding Bakugo, Shoji (carrying an injured Todoroki), and Tokoyami burst through the clearing.

"We ran into some creepy strait-jacket villain back there, but tentacles over here knocked him out after I blasted his teeth in." Bakugo stated as they took in the scene. "Are you kidding me? Ponytail managed to capture that psycho!"

"Bakugo, now is not the time." Tokoyami said at the risk of being the brunt of the blond's bad attitude. He couldn't bring himself to care though as he took in the crying girls and Izuku on the ground.

Todoroki's eyes widened at the state Izuku was in.

"Midoriya, what happened?"

"He broke his arm again," Bakugo filled in apathetically. "So what? Why the hell are you all acting like—"

"Shut up, Bakugo!" Uraraka screamed. "Can't you tell Deku is hurt? He's needs medical attention immediately."

The vice president nodded in agreement. "Tokoyami, could you please assist us in lifting him? He's heavier than he looks, and with the added dead weight of his legs..."

She devolved into sobs at that, ashamed with herself because she couldn't hold her feelings back. Why couldn't she be stronger? If she'd only been faster, then this might not have happened.

"He can't move his legs? But they're not broken."

"He took a hit directly to his spine, ribbit."

Todoroki's eyes widened. He was instantly demanding Shoji let him down, saying his leg wasn't hurt bad enough to be carried when Izuku was in the state he was in. "I'll have a temporary limp, but he comes first."

The next minute or so was filled with Shoji trying to pick up Izuku without causing him massive pain. They quickly realized after a particularly pained scream that the greenette was better off unmoved until professionals showed up.

"I can make a gurney," Yaoyorozu quickly offered. However, just as she began making it Aizawa came out of the brush.

He quickly took in the scene. The teacher had been proud when he'd run into his students carrying the pussycats back to the lodge for safety and treatment, but he was also terrified for his students. When Iida ran into him with a scared Kota on his back (he'd happened upon him in all the chaos) saying Bakugo was being targeted while Midoriya was at the top of some kill list he'd been even more worried for his students. Now that he stood there watching several of his students in tears, clothes ripped, some bloody his heart skipped a beat.

And then he noticed Muscular had already been contained, knocked out with a dart sticking out of his arm.

At least that was one less thing to worry about. He needed to figure out what was going on with Ragdoll and the class 1-B students too.

"Aizawa-sensei!" A handful of his students yelled, the girls in particular still struggling not to cry as they did so.

"We need to get Deku-kun to a hospital," Uraraka begged when he reached them.

"What happened?"

Yaoyorozu answered as she assembled a gurney using the pieces she'd been creating from her arms. It seemed at this point Izuku was in such a haze of pain he wasn't unconscious, but he wasn't coherent enough to respond either.

"The villain said he was to collect Bakugo for Shigaraki. He also said something about a kill list, which Midoriya was apparently on the top of. At this point the teachers were already defeated and he chose to go after Midoriya. He would have been killed if not for Bakugo and Todoroki, but they were quickly thrown far past the clearing. They also encountered another villain."

"He's unconscious," Shoji supplied. "Todoroki also made a cage of ice around him so we can find him later."

Aizawa nodded. "And I assume you captured the villain, Yaoyorozu?"

She nodded but looked incredibly guilty.

"I did, but I was too late."

"He took a hit meant for me," Uraraka continued. It was then she began crying again. "H-he took a punch right to his back, sensei! And now he, he can't…"

It didn't take more than a second for the underground hero to put two and two together.

"Aizawa-sensei?"

The underground hero was caught off guard by the pained voice of his student. The boy had appeared to be out of it, but it seemed he was still pushing himself.

"Midoriya, emergency services along with other pro heroes will be here shortly. Do you think you can stay awake until they get here?"

Izuku's eyelids fluttered tiredly. A small groan escaped his lips before he could respond.

"Y-yes, sensei." It seemed difficult to speak with the way every lungful of air seemed to make him spasm, his teeth gritting together in a means of coping with his state. "I… I have a question."

"Go ahead."

"If the doctors can't fix me, if I can't stand up again or if my legs are too damaged to walk properly, then can I still be a hero? Iida's brother couldn't, but I don't want it to end here. It can't end here."

Tears filled the teenagers' eyes with renewed vigor. His classmates around him were either crying or looking incredibly despaired, Bakugo looking angrier than anything else. Aizawa was left feeling guilty. He should have prevented this. This was his student, and despite knowing there had been no way for him to have stopped this from occurring, it didn't lessen the stab of failure that punctured his gut.

Looking at Izuku now, if the boy before him were anyone else Aizawa would have hardened his heart to tell him the chances of becoming a hero after this kind of injury were slim. This was Izuku in front of him though.

"Midoriya," Aizawa stated completely serious, "I don't give up on my students that easily. We'll speak more after the diagnosis, but I know for a fact your potential is nowhere near zero. Don't worry about that right now though. Focus on staying awake for me, okay?"

The gratitude in Izuku's green eyes shined.

* * *

AN#2: Finally going to remember to answer questions I've seen in the reviews. While I don't specifically write recommended prompts that I see in reviews, I do write down what people ask for inspiration when I'm starting some other one/two-shots. Basically what I'm saying is you can tell me what you'd like to see, and I'll get to it if I feel like it. I'm sorry if that's not as exciting/good an answer as you're looking for but I already have a bunch of prompts started so while I do like some of the recommended prompts it'll be a little bit until I can act upon them. Sorry! You still may see them written in the future though so don't get discouraged~


	10. Izuku is exposed (3)

AN: Tenth chapter: part 3 (and probably final part, at least for a long while) of the "exposed" arc! Enjoy some fluff before the angst monster I'm (still) finishing up is done, because that one is next. I may be a little past my preferred every ~5 day since I'm moving this weekend though. It's really stressful since I'm moving into temp housing for like 2 weeks only to then move into permanent housing, on top of working 65 hours and needing to practice to get my driver's license for my new job I start next month. Ugh adult-ing is so hard sometimes, but thank God for fanfiction, right? It, along with food, my cat, and my bf, keeps me sane lol. Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

Having the secret of One For All revealed wasn't all bad.

It led to some heartfelt moments.

 _"Young Midoriya," All Might started from where he sat on the edge of the teenager's temporary bed. The two were currently talking in the apartment belonging to the elder Midoriya, the dorms still under construction for one more day. Izuku would move into the building for class 1-A in two days time. "I feel like you deserve an apology."_

 _Izuku quirked an eyebrow, bewildered. "Why?"_

 _The skeletal man sighed deeply, bandages still keeping one arm in place as he raised his free hand to his forehead._

 _"I failed you, my boy. For decades the truth about One For All has been kept from the people, but because I didn't properly defeat All For One years prior he was desperate enough to throw the secret of both of our quirks under the bus. He is in Tartarus where he can no longer hurt anyone, but the damage has already been done. Your life, and your mother's, will be so much more difficult now. The two of us will face so much criticism. I can handle it, I've been handling it for years, yet you're just a boy. You shouldn't have to deal with the onslaught of judgment that will surely come about from both All For One's and my own speech."_

 _He bowed his head, his features regretful._

 _"I am so sorry, Young Midoriya."_

 _"Izuku."_

 _All Might's blue eyes met green ones in confusion._

 _"Call me Izuku, not Midoriya. We're past surnames by this point, aren't we? And you have nothing to be sorry for. You've never failed me, All Might. Not once."_

 _"That's not true," he shot back quickly. "All of your broken bones, the first battle simulation, the—"_

 _"You did your best to prepare me for your quirk. That battle simulation, you knew I wanted it to continue. You protected me as much as you could. But, All Might, even if you're not the best teacher, even if you make mistakes, that doesn't make you a failure. That makes you human."_

 _"My boy, I..."_

 _"That makes you my hero."_

 _Tears cascaded down the older man's face, but that was okay because Izuku was having trouble seeing out of his tear-filled eyes as well. A moment later the greenette found himself being pulled against the blond's chest. Another moment later he was hugging the man as tightly as he could without aggravating his injuries._

 _"You're going to be alright, aren't you?" Izuku sobbed into his chest._

 _"I'm retired," All Might whispered, "and like I told your mother while you were busy speaking with Aizawa, I will devote the rest of my life to raising you. I do not know how much longer that may be, because my body isn't as strong as it once was, but I believe we'll have several years together. After all, I can't go anywhere until I see my boy take my former Number One Hero spot, can I?"_

 _Izuku let out a wet laugh, his face getting All Might's white shirt soaked with tears._

 _"R-right." There was silence, and then: "All Might?"_

 _"Yes, Young Izuku?"_

 _A smile split the boy's face it two at hearing his first name. While he knew All Might would most likely use his surname in the presence of his peers and the public, hearing it even with just the two of them present warmed his heart. It felt right._

 _"I... When you said you've devoted yourself to raising me, does that mean it's not out of the question for me to call you Dad Might when it's just the two of us?"_

 _All Might burst out laughing, gently squeezing Izuku against him once more before his free hand ruffled his hair affectionately._

 _"Sure thing, my boy. Just don't let any of the U.A. staff hear you call me that; they'd never let me hear the end of it. Present Mic and Midnight are convinced you're my secret love child or something."_

 _"Oh my gosh, Todoroki thinks so too!"_

It led to some poetic moments.

 _"I apologize on behalf of Monoma," Kendo bowed while the entire cafeteria watched the copy quirk user get carried out of the room by Tetsutetsu. "He should not have said such ignorant, hurtful things to you. Copying your quirk without your permission was disrespectful and not very heroic as well."_

 _Izuku smiled at the girl. "I'd accept the apology, but it's really not needed. The broken legs and arms were enough punishment. If only he believed me when I tried to warn him that the person using One For All had to be in peak physical condition before even attempting to use the quirk."_

 _The class 1-B representative sighed._

 _"That idiot has selective hearing; he only listens to others when he wants to. Still, as much as it was karma that he shattered his bones it doesn't excuse what he said to you. All Might chose you to be his successor. It was his decision to give you his quirk, so anyone who's been criticizing you or telling you otherwise needs to stop. I don't know you very well, Midoriya, but from what I've seen you have no reason to think yourself undeserving."_

 _"Thank you, Kendo-chan."_

 _"No thanks necessary! I'm just stating the truth," she sent him a warm look. "But I guess I should make sure Monoma is being taken care of by Recovery Girl. See you around, Midoriya."_

There were some... explosive moments as well.

 _"Deku," Bakugo stated quietly after shoulder-checking him on the way to the kitchen, "meet me outside the dorms at midnight. Don't be late."_

 _Low and behold, midnight came much faster than Izuku anticipated. Still, it was expected. What was not expected was seeing Bakugo standing outside the gates in his sleepwear looking positively haunted._

 _"Kacchan? What did you want to talk about?"_

 _"Shut up and follow me, nerd. We're too close to the dorms."_

 _Izuku, following Bakugo like he had since he was four, did just that. Fifteen minutes later the two of them were approaching the field they had fought on during the battle trial at the beginning of the school year. Finally, stopping just inside the gates, Bakugo spoke._

 _"You weren't lying to me back then, were you? When you told me you were given your quirk by someone else. You told me the truth despite it being All Might's greatest secret."_

 _Izuku winced. The tone was accusatory._

 _"It... felt wrong not to tell you."_

 _"Why, Deku? Why the hell would you tell an asshole who treats you like you're covered in sewage something so goddamn important?"_

 _Despite the fact his voice was becoming less controlled and filling with anger, Izuku replied honestly and evenly._

 _"We've known each other since before I can remember. We were best friends once, and even after our relationship crumbled you've never stopped being my friend as well as an inspiration to me. Growing up you were an idol on par, no, more than All Might was to me. He might have been my inspiration for wanting to be a hero, but you gave me the ambition to become a hero. That's why I told you, Kacchan. You've always been a hero to me, and it would have felt wrong not telling the person who helped shape me into who I am today the truth."_

 _"What the hell?" Bakugo's eyes were glassy, but he hid it by closing them. He was shaking with previously bottled up emotion by this point._

 _"Kacchan?"_

 _Izuku took a step towards his childhood friend, but a small explosion (a warning shot) from the blond's palms kept him from advancing. Then Bakugo was yelling, a hand clutching the fabric above his chest own tightly._

 _"I don't understand you! How after all these years could you possibly see me like that? You mean to tell me you weren't pitying me and making arrogant comments our entire childhood?"_

 _"Of course not," Izuku's voice was raising to almost match the other boy's. "I never meant for you to think I was belittling you. I genuinely respect you, flaws and all. Is it really that hard to believe? Have you seriously thought all these years that I believed myself to be better than you? I never once thought that, Kacchan. I've known for a long time that you're better than me. I just..._ I just wanted to be able to walk by your side again _."_

 _Bakugo's palms sparked, burning tiny holes his black shirt where one hand gripped it._

 _"No! No, you had to be making fun of me! Because if you weren't, then that means I was wrong, and that I treated you like shit because I was an ignorant, spiteful, insecure dick! It makes me exactly what those stupid League of Losers thought I was."_

 _"Kacchan, you're not—"_

 _"I acted just like a villain, didn't I? Son of a- I'm still acting like one! No wonder those bastards took me. No wonder All Might chose you as his successor; you've been fighting the bad guys since you were four years old. It's all my fault. It's all_ my _fault! Your shitty childhood, All Might's retirement, all of it!"_

 _Izuku's eyes became impossibly wide. "Wait, what? Do you seriously think his retirement is your fault?"_

 _"Of course it is! If I'd been a decent human being then Handsy wouldn't have targeted me in the first place. Because I wasn't strong enough to stop him from taking me All Might had to rescue me, losing what was left of his quirk in the first place while also leading to your secret being revealed to the entire planet. If some bastard offs you because they want your quirk it'll come around to me. You're in danger because despite wanting to be the number one hero, I'm closer to being a v-"_

 _A super-powered fist struck him hard in the jaw. Bakugo had been so worked up, his eyes shut tight so that when Izuku raced forward with One For All rushing through his veins the blond hadn't anticipated the blow._

 _"Don't you dare finish that statement!" Izuku screamed, the glow fading from his body as he did so. Tears welled up in his eyes as his hands moved to grab Bakugo by his shoulders, but after a second he put his arms down. The blond seemed like any touch would spook him. "You're not a villain, Kacchan! You're a sixteen year-old hero in training just like me. You've made mistakes, yeah, but when it all comes down to it that's because you're human. I know you think you're perfect, and that's why when things don't go how you planned you react badly, yet that just means you need to realize nobody is perfect. You're not, I'm not, neither our classmates nor teachers, and especially not All Might. Speaking of which, he was losing his powers anyway. He doesn't blame anyone for his retirement. He's honestly grateful he was able to use his powers for the last time taking down his arch nemesis rather than some small-time thug. You're not to blame for that, okay?"_

 _"It doesn't matter! And I've known for a long damn time that I'm imperfect, you sappy shitrag," Bakugo fired back. "My mom reminded me every single day growing up, because our teachers would only tell me I was amazing at everything from math to wiping my ass so I would look like a golden egg for the school when I applied to U.A.. That doesn't mean you can pass off what I did as ignorant mistakes. I abused you not only physically, but in nearly all meanings of the term. What kind of hero does that to someone?"_

 _"Well I could name one,"_ but that's something else entirely _, he thought. "That wouldn't answer your question though. Yes, you hurt me a lot. I wish you hadn't. It's in the past now though, and you're learning, aren't you? You know what you did was wrong; you're changing for the better. If you weren't I can't imagine someone like Kirishima would call you his best friend."_

 _Bakugo swallowed hard._

 _"He said that?"_

 _Izuku smiled. "Offhandedly, but yeah. I have to admit it stung a little bit to see the two of you so casual with each other. It's how I imagined we would be if things hadn't gone sour. You're still my friend though, Kacchan. I need you to believe me on that."_

 _"Also," the greenette said with an intense expression, "if you ever call yourself a villain again I'm going to punch you."_

 _"Hah?"_

 _"I'm serious! You've done some cruel things, broken a bunch of quirk laws-"_

 _"Tell anyone about the fences and you're dead, nerd."_

 _"Ugh, whatever! Anyway, you're not the nicest guy but you're not the guy you were in middle school. Honestly if you changed too much now it'd be terrifying."_

 _"What's that supposed to mean, bastard? I'll kill you!"_

 _Izuku smiled again before erupting into laughter. "There it is! Change for the better, but don't ever change either, okay?"_

 _Bakugo glanced away, a glare on his face._

 _"That doesn't even make sense."_

 _"Yes it does. People can change and simultaneously stay the same. Oh, and before I forget..."_

 _Closing the short distance between him and the blond, emerald eyes stared up at the other's ruby ones with enough intensity to melt Todoroki's ice._

 _"I forgive you, Kacchan."_

 _With that he turned on his heel, mentally panicking as he tried to remain cool and aloof as he walked off the training grounds. However, before he could get too far away, Bakugo's hoarse voice stopped him._

 _"Deku, wait."_

 _Izuku did not turn around. He only did so when the blond uttered two words a second later, a smile brighter than the sun appearing on his face after hearing them._

 _"I'm sorry."_

Not to mention his friends were inquisitive supportive as always.

 _"Deku-kun, you mentioned you're learning to master your quirk in intervals of power, right?"_

 _Izuku nodded._

 _Uraraka put a finger on her cheek thoughtfully._

 _"How much power can you use without hurting yourself then?"_

 _"I've been wondering the same thing," Iida voiced. Beside him Todoroki looked at Izuku in interest as well._

 _The greenette grinned sheepishly. "Well, my body can fully handle one percent power. That's what I've been using ever since the sports festival, where I used one-hundred percent because I couldn't gauge how much power I needed. I think I could safely use three percent now though? Maybe even five percent."_

 _His friends looked at him in surprise._

 _"Your Full Cowling is only one percent?" Uraraka gasped. "But you already move so fast, and your punches are crazy strong!"_

 _Todoroki hummed. "You're positive you're not related to All Might? Perhaps, if he's not your father, you're cousins or something similar?"_

 _Izuku face-palmed._

 _"Todoroki, I do not think the two of them are related just because they have similar quirks." Iida reasoned. "The villain known as Dabi from the attack on the camping trip, for example. He was said to be able to create blue flames, correct? Your father is capable of the same thing. That does not mean he's related to you in any way, does it?"_

 _"I suppose you have a point," Todoroki relented. It didn't stop him from regarding the greenette suspiciously._

Most important of all though were the happy moments with his mother, teachers, and class 1-A.

 _Inko Midoriya smiled as she watched the kids in front of her decorate their cookies. With the help of Sato and a few others they had made dozens and dozens of sugar cookies, tons of icing, and small bowls of all sorts of sprinkles. There were enough for every student to decorate at least four using the various bags of colored frosting they'd dyed._

 _"Kirishima, please stop hogging all of the red frosting!" Iida shouted while doing the usual over the top chopping motions with his arms. "Todoroki has been waiting patiently for you to finish for over ten minutes."_

 _"It's fine. I went with pink instead," the fire and ice user shrugged._

 _Bakugo scoffed. "Maybe you could settle with pink, Icyhot, but I need red so I can make it look like this villain is covered in blood."_

 _The redhead using the blood-colored frosting winced. "Bro, that's a bit graphic for a cookie design isn't it? What villain did you even draw?"_

 _"I didn't draw the entire body, just a hand. Man I wish I could explode that loser's face again."_

 _"I drew a cat!" Mina interjected excitedly. From across the line of tables the class had put together Aizawa nodded in appreciation._

 _"I drew a cat too," he stated quietly. True to his word when All Might, Jiro, and Yaoyorozu looked at their teacher's work it was obvious he'd drawn a cat stick figure._

 _Uraraka turned away from Iida, who was trying to cover the cookie he'd colored blue with white sprinkles in the design of his hero costume's helmet, to glance over at Tsuyu and Izuku's creations. It was expected for her to see a frog cookie next to the female greenette and a couple of All Might themed ones next to the male greenette. To be fair her own were just covered in little swirly pink, white, and purple designs with a couple sprinkles for accents._

 _"How are you decorating yours, Ojiro-kun?" Hagakure asked as she covered her cookies in almost as much sprinkles as Aoyama's. She loved sprinkles._

 _The tailed student chuckled sheepishly. After a moment he held up a cookie with an orange background and what appeared to be little white gloves on it._

 _"I tried drawing you in your hero costume?"_

 _"Ojiro-kun!" The invisible girl squealed. "You're so sweet!"_

 _Mineta rolled his eyes. He was just about to show off the cookie he'd decorated with a large figure eight shaped doodle of the female anatomy on it when Jiro stopped decorating her own with music notes to cover the thing in black sprinkles._

 _"Hey!" The grape-themed hero whined. "Now you can't see my design!"_

 _"I'm sorry man, but no one wanted to see that." Kaminari voiced from where he finished his second lightning bolt designed cookie. Next to him Shoji nodded in agreement as one of the mouths on his hand ate a plain sugar cookie._

 _Meanwhile, Koda decorated all four of his with either a bunny or bird drawing. Sato heaped frosting onto his and made two cookie sandwiches that way. Tokoyami only put minimal amounts of black icing on his along with lots of sprinkles, Dark Shadow cheering for far more sprinkles than could actually fit on the cookies. Yaoyorozu's were frosted so well they almost looked professionally done; the cute flower designs done using a self-created icing bag tip were awesome! Sero could only tell her as much as he looked at his own which was just as much a complete mess as Mina's first three attempts at a cat._

 _"Mom?"_

 _Inko blinked out of her stupor when she noticed her son standing in front of her holding an all green cookie. When she inspected in closer she smiled. There was a crudely drawn duo of stick figures that looked suspiciously like her and her boy._

 _"You gave everyone else cookies, but didn't keep any for yourself, so I made you one!"_

 _"Thank you, sweetie." She accepted it with one hand, the other ruffling her son's head affectionately. She loved him so much. "Can I see your other— Hagakure and Kirishima! Get those frosting bags out of your mouths this instant. Not everyone is done decorating yet. And Mina, stop trying to squirt frosting into Kaminari's mouth from across the table. You're making a mess."_

 _"Yes, Midori-mama!" They chorused._

 _The woman nodded before turning back to a giggling Izuku._

 _"What's so funny, dear? Do you want me to tell them about the time you used frosting to draw a picture of All Might on the refrigerator when you were three?"_

 _Izuku blanched, his classmates demanding to be told the story in vivid detail._

 _"Mom!"_


	11. Izuku is daydreaming (1)

AN: Eleventh chapter: class 1-A and teachers find out about the past abuse Bakugo has put Izuku through (aka consequences). I tried to spin it a little more realistically/differently from other past abuse reveals, or at least I tried to. This will be split into 3 maybe 4 parts, part 2 will be in a couple days while I fix up part 3 and/or start part 4.

* * *

It was in the midst of their training for the Provisional Hero License Exam that it happened.

"Class, this is the Mind Reading Hero: Daydreamer." Aizawa introduced his students to the young man standing next to him. The hero was dressed semi-casually in a pair of black jeans, a long-sleeved dress shirt with a constellation design, and black tennis shoes. Star-shaped sunglasses adorned his face.

"He's a fairly lesser known hero who focuses on working with the police," the teacher continued to explain. "While he is trained in combat his quirk's specialty is projecting a person's memory, one to several someone is thinking of at the time of physical contact, from his eyes like a projection screen. It recreates sounds in the memory as well. He uses said quirk on criminals, villains, and so on to give the police something to go off of when a regular interrogation isn't showing results. This works well when it comes to gathering information, since no matter how much individuals may not want to verbally answer the police their mind will instinctively answer the question being asked."

Daydreamer waved at the students politely when he heard them muttering in excitement.

"Thank you for the introduction, Eraserhead. I'm glad many of you find my quirk interesting!" He directed the latter statement to the class. "Anyway, in case he hasn't informed you the reason I am here today is for a different sort of exercise. As first year students you all usually focus on various forms of rescue and battle training among other types, but you're a couple weeks away from the PHLE. You're already doing special move training much earlier than you would usually do. That being said, you first years are a bit unique. With the amount of villain encounters you've had it was decided that you would receive a few bouts of mental training a year early too."

A few hands shot up when he took a moment to pause.

"I'm about to explain what that entails," he said with a chuckle. The hands went down slowly. "It's good to know you're eager though! Today's mental training exercise will be an easy one to get you all more comfortable with my quirk; it will strengthen your bonds with your fellow classmates."

"Now I know what you're thinking. What are the benefits? Well, being a hero can be tough, and we've found that having friends to rely on and share parts of their personal lives with allows many individuals the means to heal. It helps with empathy training as well. For those of you who are not aware, a hero should treat all those involved with empathy and not feelings of pity or apathy. It's important not only to your careers as heroes, but in development as better human beings." His tone had taken a much more serious tone. "You will work with people your entire life. There will be innocents in danger, villains you dislike or even hate, friends you cherish, colleagues who fight by your side, idols you look up to, and people you love; all of them deserve empathy."

"However," he continued as the class remained silent, "not everyone is naturally empathetic. Some are able to picture themselves in another's shoes easier than someone else. Empathy cannot be forced, but it can definitely be learned. If everyone is willing to open their hearts and minds for this training you will all become better for it. Not just better heroes, mind you, but better people."

There were a few seconds where Daydreamer thought he'd been too dramatic. When most of the class erupted in cheers and clapping at his speech a moment later, he couldn't stop himself from flushing.

Aizawa decided to quiet them all with a loud clearing of his throat.

"Daydreamer will be working through each of you one at a time," the homeroom teacher stated tiredly. "I want all of you to push the desks out of the way so that there's a clear open space to arrange yourselves in a circle. You have five minutes to do this as well as go to the bathroom if you need to. Once he begins none of you will be leaving until all individuals have gone."

The Mind Reading hero jumped in then, smiling cheerfully. "If everything goes according to plan you should be out of here early! Everyone will just have to hold onto my hand for a couple minutes while I ask them a couple questions. We have four hours to do this, and even if everyone uses the ten per person I estimate it will take we'll be out of here in roughly three hours."

Aizawa nodded. "What he said. Now everyone get moving." With that the underground hero walked behind his desk and crawled into his sleeping bag. Daydreamer stared at the scene in disbelief, shaking his head with amusement after a couple seconds.

"Man, Eraserhead never changes."

"Excuse me?"

Daydreamer turned around to see a student with long black hair put up in a ponytail. "Yes, miss?"

"I had a quick question about the exercise." She stated respectfully. "You mentioned you had questions for us to answer. Will we all be answering the same questions, or will there be different ones for each student?"

"You'll all be answering the same three. I'll actually explain it in more detail once everyone's settled."

She smiled pleasantly at the response. "I see. Thank you, Daydreamer."

It wasn't long after that the twenty students were seated on the floor. There was a large open space in the middle of the circle where Daydreamer sat like the nucleus of an atom.

"I apologize for not being able to face all of you," he started, "but this has turned out to be the best setup for this exercise. Anyway, as I explained earlier I will be moving around to each of you in order to project whatever is on your mind. You have the choice of grabbing my hand or my wrist, whichever you may prefer, while I ask you three questions. The questions will all be the same for each of you. Your answers will be in the form of the memory or memories projected in response to said question, so no verbal answers are required. I actually don't mind if we're completely silent throughout the entire exercise. I also don't mind if any of you have the urge to speak up, but do mind your manners and raise your hand first. Among the purposes of this exercise is strengthening the bonds between you. Open up as much or as little as you want; however, my quirk will show whatever it is you're thinking so do try to be conscious of your answers."

With the exercise thoroughly understood, Daydreamer looked at the sheet given to him by Aizawa and asked which one of them was the class representative.

"That would be me, sir! Tenya Iida."

The hero smiled. "Iida, there's no need to call me sir. Daydreamer is just fine. Anywho, Iida, would you be willing to start the exercise?"

"It would be an honor," he said. "As the class rep going first will set my classmates at ease."

Daydreamer chuckled at the boy's enthusiasm. He got up to walk over to the student, sitting down a foot in front of Iida. Holding out his hand, he instructed the student to only touch him once he thought of an answer to the question.

"First question. Why do you want to be a hero?"

Iida didn't hesitate grabbing the hero's hand.

Within seconds the hero had turned his head to look upwards in the middle of the circle. With the help of a support device he had settled over one eye like a monocle, both eyes lit up until there were twin beams of yellow light flowing from them turning into an ovular surface made from said light taking shape in the air. A couple more seconds passed when dozens of other colors came from the hero's eyes.

It was then the screen of light he was projecting became clear, revealing an image of Ingenium. In the image he was smiling brightly with his helmet under one arm, his eyes full of affection as he stared at the viewer who was his little brother.

 _"He's a likable hero who honors the rules and leads people."_ The memory's sound— Iida's voice— echoed throughout the room.

The scene shifted after a little bit though, showing Tensei Iida lying in his hospital bed. Many students looked to their class rep in surprise. They knew how hard it must have been to share this memory.

 _"If you're up for it,"_ Iida's older brother spoke, _"will you take this name for me?"_

And then one more flash of memories.

This time instead of them showcasing Tensei, however, Izuku's form filled the screen. The memory's perspective was from the ground looking up at the green-suited hero in training at an angle.

 _"I came to save you, Iida!"_

A flash of Todoroki and Izuku's backs.

 _"The two of us will protect them,"_ Todoroki's voice.

Now an image of Izuku looking them in the hospital.

 _"Let's get stronger... together."_

Iida took his hand away with a slight smile on his face. Beside him Uraraka was crying (so was Kirishima among a few others), and beside her Izuku couldn't help but stare at his friend in shock. Had his words really made such an impact?

The rest of Iida's turn went by quickly and without comment. This meant that when the Mind Reading hero turned to face the brunette next she was jumpy but prepared for the first question. What she was really ready for though was the second question.

"Uraraka," Daydream asked, "what makes you happy?"

The girl grinned as she let her hand slip back into the hero's. Moments later several scenes flashed across the screen in quick succession.

 _"I love you mama, papa."_ A much younger Uraraka's voice said as the image of her parents smiling down at her lovingly. It was obvious even without hearing their responses that their family was one that was close and happy.

 _"Mmm, mochi!"_ The girl hummed happily around her food. This scene was much more animated, various clips of food filling the vision and making many students laugh.

Next there were a couple scenes of her friends. Walking home with Iida and Izuku, getting donuts with a handful of her classmates, spending time in the U.A. lounge with the girls; all of the memories were just as bright and bubbly as her personality.

Soon after she'd answered the last question, Daydreamer turned to the next person in line.

Despite Iida and Uraraka's turns going well, Izuku couldn't help but feel nervous. While Daydreamer was kind his quirk set Izuku on edge. Not because of the nature of his quirk— it was actually really cool and the greenette thought it was amazing— but since his mind ran a mile a minute he didn't trust himself to keep his thoughts as organized as the two students before him. What if he slipped up and projected something he didn't want them to see? Sure he could retract his hand, but leaving his classmates worrying because of a half-finished memory could be just as bad.

"Midoriya?" Daydreamer said. The student in question snapped out of his stupor with a sheepish smile. "Are you ready for your turn?"

"Y-yeah!" He answered with false enthusiasm.

Daydreamer nodded. "Okay, then I will ask you the first question. Why do you want to be a hero?"

Izuku was prepared for this question. He grabbed the hero's hand and watched the projected screen with a somber smile. Immediately a familiar computer monitor filled the projection, the video of All Might's debut filling the room with the sound of laughter.

 _"It's fine now. Why? Because I am here!"_

"Classic Midoriya," Kirishima commented. A few others in class chuckled in agreement.

Another memory, this time one on a rooftop, of Izuku staring at the concrete filled the last one's place.

 _"I want to be the sort of hero that when people see my smile they'll know they're safe. I want to be the strongest hero, just like you!"_

The image abruptly cut away to another memory, one that had his previously grinning classmates speechless.

The scene changed to display who the students now recognized as All Might in his skeletal form. Despite not being in his once regular muscled form the man still looked just as imposing standing there in the dying light of a residential area.

 _"Top heroes have stories about them from their school days,"_ All Might said. _"Most of their stories have one thing in common: the bodies moved before they had a chance to think."_

From the sudden change in angle it seemed Izuku was curling forward, the scene now showing the ground.

 _"That was true for you, wasn't it?"_

 _"Yeah,"_ younger Izuku croaked. He blushed at the memory, feeling a bit embarrassed, but to his surprise he found his classmates watching in silent awe.

In the projection the slight blurriness of the edges made it obvious he'd started crying. The occasional blackness cutting out the scene while the sound continued must have been him closing his eyes as he sobbed.

And then All Might spoke again, five words that gave Izuku the courage to become who he was today.

 _"You_ _can be a hero."_

Taking his hand away before some more controversial memories popped up, Izuku gave a shaky smile.

"I'm ready for the next question."

Daydreamer grinned. He was rooting for this kid already.

"Question two then; what makes you happy?"

Izuku thought about it hard. He needed to get his memories in order just in case one of his many with All Might came up. While his classmates knew the two were close they didn't need to know exactly how close.

The first few memories were nothing more than ten second snippets of him and his mother. One was of him pretending to be All Might and saving her as a child, another was him cooking kastudon with her, and another of them cuddling together on the couch watching the news. After that he let some memories of him at U.A. fill the projection, snapshot after snapshot of Izuku's friends seen through his eyes. Uraraka's close-eyed grin, Iida's dramatic gestures, Todoroki's subtle but meaningful smile, Kirishima's radiating positivity, Mina's excited shouts, Tsuyu's happy trills, and so many more memories popped into view. All Might flashing him a thumbs up and a grin after a training exercise too. Then, before moving onto the next question, there was a flash of four year-old Bakugo smiling at him while holding an All Might figurine.

"What the hell?" Bakugo growled out just as Izuku withdrew his hand once more. "Don't include me in your shitty slideshow, you stupid nerd."

"Dude," Kaminari broke in, "you shouldn't be yelling at him for including you in his answer of what makes him happy. Honestly you should be more surprised considering how much of a dick you are to him."

"I don't know how anyone could think about 'Bakugo' and 'happy' belonging in the same thought process anyway." Sero commented. To his side Mina gave him a low five in appreciation of the burn.

Bakugo stood up, small explosions popping in his palms. "What did you idiots just say? I'll kick both your asses!"

"Bakugo, calm down!" Kirishima tried.

"Shove it, Shitty-hair. I need to teach Sparky and Tape-arms a lesson."

"Excuse me," Daydreamer interrupted with a commanding voice. Bakugo did not lower his arms, but he did turn his glare onto the hero. "This exercise is about strengthening bonds, not destroying them. Bakugo, was it? Please sit down so we can continue. If you don't I will be forced to wake your teacher, and if my memory serves me right that's not something you want to happen." The memory of Aizawa's murderous glare after having woke him up from a nap last year made him shiver.

Bakugo glared at the hero for a couple seconds before sitting down. With a sigh of relief, Daydreamer brought his focus back to the greenette looking at the floor sadly.

"Are you okay to answer the third question, Midoriya?"

He answered with a voice much smaller than he'd heard previously. "Yeah."

While Daydreamer didn't quite believe him he decided to allow the student to finish up anyway. "Alright then. The last question: who are you?"

Izuku gulped. "Who am I?"

He remembered Iida's memories showing him as a caring son, brother, and friend. There had been images of him studying hard, performing his tasks as the class rep (which included him leaving the USJ during the attack to get help), and flashes of him fighting in hero training or during the sports festival.

Uraraka's had been of her family, working hard to study for classes alone in her apartment, having fun with her friends, and training to get stronger with Gunhead and her classmates.

What did Izuku have to show? It seemed like he had so much, yet so little. What moments would stand out the most?

Hesitantly he grabbed Daydreamer's hand one more time and desperately prayed something would come to him. When the projection started playing a memory from the first few days of attending U.A. he let out a relieved breath; perhaps he wouldn't screw up his turn after all.

The perspective was moving so fast it was hard to see what was going on, but it was apparent Izuku was getting closer and closer to the warp gate villain. The USJ flashed by on the outskirts of his vision. Finally, his voice screamed out.

 _"Get away from All Might!"_

Izuku's fist came into the right of the memory just as a hand popped out of nowhere.

 _"I won't be falling for that again."_ Kurogiri remarked snidely as Shigaraki's hand reached out towards Izuku's face. It filled the entire projection and some of those in class watched in terror. Had their friend really come that close to dying?

The next scene was of him running through a forest, his breathing accelerating as he came to a small cliff face. It showed the Muscular about to attack Kota from Izuku's point of view, the scene continuing just as it had happened in real time. The villain taunted him, threw him around, and laughed about how he killed the little boy's parents. The twisted words coming out of his mouth disgusted Izuku's classmates almost as much as they were horrified by the fact their friend had lived through this. Their feelings soon turned more somber, however, as Izuku wrecked himself in order to protect Kota.

 _"Fine, it's fine."_ The words were ground out painfully as the screen filled with bulging muscle and a purple, shattered right arm. _"I will_ not _let him past me! Run!"_

 _"Show me your blood!"_ Muscular screamed, the screen going dark soon after. The sound of rock breaking made some of the classmates flinch. _"I'm going to crush you!"_

And then Izuku's eyes opened up moments later, Kota's words giving him the reminder he needed to push past his limits.

 _"As if I'd let you kill him!"_

The memory faded just as Muscular's form lay against the rock he'd been thrown into. No one could bring themselves to speak even if they wanted to, the next scene filling the screen with enough sound to keep them from interrupting.

The image consisted with fire and smoke, making a few students gasp in surprise. Behind the sound of a panicking crowd of citizens and frozen heroes calling for backup a massive monster made of sludge laughed. Suddenly the video tunneled as if Izuku was focused only on the figure being surrounded by said sludge. It was Bakugo. He seemed to be struggling wildly, some of the sludge in his mouth pushing in further to suffocate him.

Across the room several students looked on in silence, eyes wide at the terrifying situation their classmates had lived through. Bakugo, however, was absolutely livid.

"Stop thinking about this, Deku!"

Izuku did not stop. This was his memory after all, and not even Bakugo could take that away from him.

In the memory a telltale yellow backpack made contact with the sludge villain's eye, making him cry out. Hands scrambled at the villain's churning form just as Bakugo was able to take a breath of air.

 _"Kacchan!"_ Izuku's voice cried out, tears permeating the memory.

The blond choked as he screamed back. _"Why are you here?"_

 _"My legs moved on their own! I don't know why, though!"_

Said memory broke off when an explosion broke his concentration. Bakugo was standing up and looking at Izuku with murder in his eyes.

"Deku, I'm going to kill you!" He let off another explosion, and Izuku instinctively closed his eyes.

That was when things went _wrong_.

On Daydreamer's screen a scene played out.

 _"Kacchan, stop! Please!"_

Explosions, children laughing, and Izuku's screaming filled the screen. This made the entire class react with varying emotions: shock, sadness, anger, and so on.

 _"What's wrong, Deku? Still think you can be a hero? If you can't even beat me and a couple friends you'll never be more than useless."_ Young Bakugo's face flashed by as the perspective tilted until it hit the ground and blacked out.

Another memory played directly after, this time in a classroom. The view was of the floor.

 _"If you want to be a hero that badly, there's a quick way to do it."_

Bakugo's eyes widened.

"Deku, stop!" He roared in preparation to tackle Izuku away from Daydreamer; however, he found himself wrapped in scarves instead. Dread fell upon the blond as Aizawa heard crystal clear what Bakugo knew he was about to say.

 _"Believe that you'll be born with a quirk in your next life and take a last chance dive off of the roof!"_

As the memory showed Izuku turning around to see an absolutely menacing Bakugo setting off explosions threateningly, Aizawa quickly activated his quirk. He didn't even need to cross the room and pull Daydreamer away from his student. When the hero came out of it, the shock of his quirk shutting off without his influence, there were tears of regret welling up in the hero's eyes.

"I'm so sorry," the hero apologized. "I should have explained I'm not always completely aware when I'm projecting. I should have told you that you needed to break contact for my quirk to stop."

Aizawa put a reassuring hand on Daydreamer's shoulder.

"We're rescheduling the rest of this exercise for next week," he instructed. "Today everyone is dismissed early. Daydreamer, stay here. As for my students I want all of you out of this room save for Bakugo and Midoriya in the next thirty seconds. I don't want to hear a peep out of you while you do it. Your time starts now."

Class 1-A had never moved so fast in their lives. They didn't even have time to see if they could comfort Midoriya or wring an explanation from Bakugo about what they'd just seen. Bakugo didn't miss the positively murderous glare on Uraraka's face though, the look not matching her usual bubbly personality or carefree smile.

When the room was empty of everyone save the two heroes and main problem students, Aizawa let out a long sigh.

"Daydreamer, can you call principal Nedzu and inform him to bring All Might to his office? Tell him the four of us will be joining them there shortly."

"Of course…"

Aizawa turned his sharp-eyed gaze to the greenette, who flinched under the intensity of the stare.

"I'm going to leave you to explain the context of what I just witnessed to the principal. Depending on how cooperative you are I won't be forced to call in your mother right away, but I will need to speak with her regarding getting further information of your treatment prior to your enrollment here. I'm not sure if you're aware, Midoriya, but this is a serious matter. I cannot simply let this go."

"Bakugo," he finally brought his attention to the blond staring at the ground angrily. "You're suspended until further notice."

"What? Why the hell—"

The teenager's scream was cut off by the cold indifference settling onto Aizawa's face.

"One more word and I will expel you on the spot without giving you a chance to redeem yourself. Don't think I won't; I've expelled others for less."

Izuku gaped at his homeroom teacher. The stilted animosity in the hero's voice was… new. What was even newer, however, was the amount of self-control Bakugo was exhibiting.

The explosive blond didn't let out a peep the entire trip to the principal's office.

* * *

To say the conversation that followed was awkward would have been an understatement. In all of Izuku's life he'd never once told anyone about the abuse he'd suffered at Bakugo's hands (literally and figuratively). Seeing as he couldn't get the words out either, most of the "conversation" was him holding Daydreamer's hand and projecting his memories of his former classmates' cruelty. All Might, Aizawa, Daydreamer, and Bakugo remained silent as Nedzu interjected every now and then with questions.

"Thank you for your cooperation, young one. I appreciate your honesty and bravery," the principal told him with a soft smile. It faded as soon as he turned to Bakugo. "I must say it is surprising for someone with such a spotless record prior to enrolling here to have acted so unruly without facing proper repercussions. Would you care to explain why your teachers turned a blind eye when they should have been correcting such behavior?"

Bakugo crossed his arms. "None of the teachers cared about what we did."

"Could you please elaborate on that?"

"It is what I said. They were too busy making sure we hit average on national tests to break up every little fight that took place on school grounds, the principal included. Some of the teachers would avoid confrontation on purpose because they believed we should have been able to fend for ourselves. The only one who seemed to care was the nurse, but after fixing Deku up so often she learned to mind her own business as well. She tried to get me in trouble once, but because of my quirk being revered by most of the staff and my high scores on every exam the principal didn't want to ruin any chance of me getting accepted into U.A.; he told the nurse to just fix the nerd up and any further questions would result in replacement."

"First of all, that is illegal. I will have to contact a case worker to put Aldera Junior High under investigation."

Neither former student showed any signs of remorse. They both knew their school was one of the worst, and if any staff were fired for their negligence then they deserved it.

"As for the bullying," Nedzu continued, this time turning to Izuku, "no one ever contacted your mother? What about when you were injured?"

Izuku looked guilty. "I, um, told them not to. My mother has a lot of anxiety so I decided it best if she didn't know about how bad our relationship became."

"She didn't notice you coming home injured nearly every day?"

"I was very good at hiding the bruises and burns, and treating them in my room when she wasn't around was easy. By the time the other students started to hurt me really badly they learned to not make it too obvious."

The terse frown on the small mammal's face grew. From the side of the room All Might and Daydream seemed distressed while Aizawa radiated anger.

"This is indeed troubling. We'll have to discuss this in more detail with the appropriate parties. What I will say for now is that I stand by Aizawa's decision to suspend you, Bakugo, until further notice." Nedzu stated with a flick on an ear. "You will remain suspended until we've talked to your parents, whom we will be contacting tonight to schedule a visit for tomorrow after school, and come to a more permanent solution after. The four of us will be having a long talk about what has occurred before your time at U.A. Directly before that we will be having a similar conversation with the Midoriyas. Once that is all over Aizawa and I will decide where to go from there with both families present."

The blond remained silent, having accepted his punishment. Arguing now could lead to him getting expelled on the spot.

"That being said we will allow you to remain in the dorms for the suspension instead of sending you home; with the Kamino incident still fresh in our minds it would be foolish to send you home unless it comes to expulsion, to which we would employ a hero or police force to watch over your home."

As he switched gears to Izuku, he noticed the boy's hand raised again for permission to speak.

"Yes, Midoriya?"

"I'm sorry sir, but to my understanding Kacchan hasn't done anything to deserve suspension. While the matter of bullying is a serious issue I understand that much of it happened outside of school grounds making those matters of personal account. I for one choose not to act on them. The stuff that happened in school could only get him in trouble if I press charges, which I won't. Since I am sixteen and technically a minor my mother would be able to overrule my decision, but I'm confident she would trust me to make my own choice."

All Might seemed at a loss.

"My boy, the actions I saw were not those of an upcoming hero."

"I know," Izuku stressed. "I know what happened in the past was wrong. It," he took a deep breath, "was not okay. Kacchan shouldn't have treated me like that; it's not how a hero should ever behave. I'm aware of that, and he's aware of—"

"Midoriya," Aizawa's low voice cut him off. "Are you trying to deflect the fact that he's broken several quirk regulations by using his quirk on school grounds, on public property, while also causing harm to another person?"

"The 22nd quirk law states that after 365 days if said use of a quirk in public shows no evidence of having occurred that the charges are dropped except for cases of murder, arson, theft, and a few small subcategories. It was made to keep those who illegally use quirks in public out of jail so there would be more room for other offenses. Anyway, since there's no evidence of long-lasting effects of him using his quirk from back then it means his actions can't go on his record."

"You're serious, aren't you? You really don't want him to face the consequences of his actions."

"There are no consequences to face, or rather he's already faced them. He's changing for the better, Aizawa-sensei. Suspending him now for what's happened in the past when the affected, that being me, does not want to press charges or deal with the added stress of having the past dredged up makes no sense."

"Your reason for defending him is not logical. Years of abuse have made you blind to the fact he shouldn't be allowed to continue his education at one of the top high schools in the world for heroics. He apparently hasn't the slightest idea of how to be a decent human being."

Daydreamer winced. "Aizawa, isn't that a bit harsh? He's sixteen, and, well, your student."

"That makes me even more disappointed." The teacher answered flatly. "I defended him against the media, to his parents, and many others skeptical about his violent behaviors and volatile personality in the past countless times; however, while he has made minimal change it is just that. Minimal. I can't help but feel that I failed as his teacher. Perhaps keeping him in my class any longer and hoping for growth is a mistake. Perhaps his potential is zero after all."

All Might tried to intervene, but Izuku's stubborn voice drowned his out.

"Thant's not fair, sensei! He deserves to be in your class just like everyone else. He worked so hard to get here, and it would crush his dream to—"

"Newsflash, kid, but he didn't give a damn about your dream when he threw your notebook out a window and told you to jump off a roof. Dreams die all the time. It's just a part of life."

"He didn't mean it though! I know it's hard to understand, but even after what you saw I know he's still my friend."

Aizawa's eyes narrowed. Before he could comment, however, Bakugo was standing up. His entire body shook with unconcealed anger. The expression on his face was more one of absolute confusion though, as if he were unable to understand what the greenette was saying.

"What the hell, Deku? I've treated you like shit since we were four! Everyone else here saw it. We're _not_ friends!"

Izuku frowned harder, genuine hurt flashing across his features.

"It's true you became cruel when your quirk came in, Kacchan, but just because you changed didn't make me think you were anything less than my friend."

"Your head must be screwed up from all those fights you've been in, nerd. We haven't been friends for over a decade. Friends don't beat the crap out of you, ostracize you from having a normal childhood, and let them pity you."

"I've _never_ pitied you! I looked up to you, and still do. I admit our relationship is a bit… complicated. It's not like you actually hate me though, right? You did everything because you wanted me to give up on my dream just so I wouldn't get hurt when we thought I was quirkless, and you bullied me so the other people at school wouldn't treat me worse. Only my friend would act like a jerk at the cost of his own image to make sure I was safe. In your own unique way you've been protecting me since we were kids. You're my hero, Kacchan."

The room went silent, everyone in the room processing Izuku's words. Was that really the way Izuku had decided to analyze the situation for his entire life? Moreover, was what he said true to any extent?

All eyes slowly focused on Bakugo, who stood slack-jawed. His red eyes were wider and more despairing than ever.

Realization finally clicked in the blond's stubborn head.

"Holy shit. Deku, you're serious?"

"Of course I am! What're you—"

"Stop." Bakugo's voice was raw with emotion, caught between frustration and sadness. "After all these years thinking you've been looking at me with pity, arrogance, you mean to tell me it's because you thought I was looking out for you? You actually thought me telling you to jump off a roof was because I cared?"

Izuku seemed less sure now, but answered nonetheless.

"I do. And it's not like you meant it, right?"

"Of course not! I say stupid shit all the time; I knew you wouldn't go through with it and I knew your dumb ass wouldn't think I was serious. Do you think I'd risk my future like that?"

Before Izuku could answer someone else beat him to it.

"You already have. It… that's not something friends say to each other. Friends— good people— don't tell other people to kill themselves," Daydreamer spoke up. "What if he'd actually listened to you, Bakugo?"

The blond was still shaken, but he was able to answer with a grunt. "I already said I knew he wouldn't take me seriously! And damn, it's not like it's the worst thing someone can say to someone; telling him to commit suicide is shit compared to other things I could have said to him. Are you even from here?"

The Mind Reading hero seemed confused. "You mean Japan? No, actually. I grew up in the United States on my mom's side. I only came here for high school and onward to take care of my aging family on my dad's side. Why?"

Nedzu chose to jump in then.

"You see, in Japanese culture suicide can be considered as the morally responsible thing to do when an individual risks dishonoring one's family. Young Bakugo is trying to say that while in American culture the idea of telling another person to kill themselves is appalling, it is not as extreme an action in Japan. In a way many outside of western culture think it is a… socially acceptable solution."

Daydreamer seemed horrified. "That doesn't make sense. I mean, implying it's fine to tell anyone, much less a young boy, that killing one's self is an acceptable solution to anything is just..." he trailed off, his composure become less professional and more emotional.

"I understand you're upset," Nedzu tried to comfort him, "but different cultures, religions, and individuals have different views on ideas such as life, morality, and the like. There is no one right opinion to have on the matter, unfortunately."

"That's the same as saying what Bakugo told Midoriya was fine," he ground back out. The young hero seemed deeply upset by where the conversation had veered.

All Might cleared his throat. "Sorry, but if I may speak? I don't believe that is what the principal was trying to imply. He simply wanted to give you information; offending your personal and cultural beliefs wasn't what he intended. It was simply his way of understanding the situation. I for one agree with your point of view. The thought of Young Midoriya being told to jump off a roof, even flippantly, leaves a heavy feeling in my chest."

"Do you regret it?" Aizawa suddenly broke in, his thoughts still racing a mile a minute as he attempted to analyze his most troublesome students. From one he was still wrapping his head around his blind, fanatic faith in his abuser while the other boy screamed misinterpretation and anger issues. "Bakugo, would you apologize to him if I told you to?"

The blond gazed at his teacher warily.

"Why should I? He's fine, isn't he?"

Those two emotionless sentences sealed his fate.

"Principal Nedzu, if I may, I believe I've found an appropriate solution to our problems. I think both of their parents will agree to the conditions when they hear them tomorrow."

The mammal nodded in interest. "What is this solution? We're all ears."

The underground hero turned to Midoriya first, tired eyes more awake now than ever.

"Midoriya, you will be attending U.A.'s free counseling service during your free period every Wednesday. Talk about whatever you wish, but you'll be going until we decide you don't need to anymore."

The greenette tilted his head in surprise, but nodded after a couple seconds of thought nonetheless.

"Both of your parents," he continued, "will be informed of the situation by principal Nedzu himself. There your parents and the principal can decide what actions they might take against your old schools for allowing these incidents to happen ceaselessly. Either way they will be hearing from the Hero Association."

Finally, Aizawa turned to Bakugo.

"For you, Bakugo, I have a few simple conditions. You will be suspended indefinitely until you apologize to Midoriya."

 _"Huh?"_ All Might, Izuku, and Bakugo shouted simultaneously.

"I don't mean an insincere apology either. When you decide you're ready I want you to get a hold of Midoriya and I, then we will determine if your apology is acceptable. Oh, you'll also be required to attend anger management counseling with me every Tuesday and Thursday after classes are done for those days, as well as attending counseling sessions every other day you are suspended. If you get in trouble at any point before delivering the apology, by the way, I will expel you. Does that sound fair to you?"

Fists clenching in what appeared to be a combination of anger and dread, Bakugo simply nodded and walked out of the office without another word. As the door closed Izuku let out a strangled noise.

"I've never heard him apologize to anyone in my entire life. Can he graduate from U.A. if he's suspended for over two-thirds of his time here?"

Aizawa wanted to face-palm so hard.

 _I_ _need a long, long nap._

* * *

AN#2: Just in case the question arises, I did my own research on American bullying laws in school (which vary school to school district annoyingly enough) along with suicide views in varying cultures. At the risk of seeming ignorant I also messaged a friend from college who is half Japanese (like Daydreamer) if what I wrote concerning Japanese view was in any way offensive to which she said it was not really a big deal to her and wouldn't be to most of the friends her age (suicide to her though is a bit of an "accepted out" apparently, which I don't understand completely but basically we agreed everyone will have different opinions anyway to which I decided what I wrote was fine), but depending on the generation or person it may come across as a historical-present day inaccuracy? Either way I hope if anything this chapter does upset anyone the following chapters will answer questions/resolve issues anyone may have with what's going on. This is going to be messy lol.


	12. Izuku is daydreaming (2)

AN: Twelfth chapter: part 2 of the consequences arc~ It will probably be 4 parts with the 4th part being longer than the others. Updates may take a little longer, sadly, as I'm really behind since I work 80 hours this week :( I'm also driving a lot more since I'm practicing to get my driver's license in like 2 weeks (I'm almost 23 and while I don't need a license I feel like it's time I just get it to have it, y'know?), so there's some added stress there. I really enjoy writing though so when I have the time to relax and write all of the angst I shall do it lol

* * *

Back at the dorm class 1-A took the reveal hard.

Some… harder than others.

"I'm going to punch him, and you can't stop me!" Uraraka shouted as Iida attempted to calm her down. Several of their classmates were also still assembled in the common room attempting to come to terms with what they'd just witnessed.

"Uraraka, please." The blue-haired boy tried to talk her out of it. "You could get suspended or worse if you assault him."

Her eyes narrowed even further. "I don't care! So what if I get in trouble? That jerk can't get away with—"

"I'll do it," Todoroki broke in. His left side was smoking. "I haven't been friends with Midoriya as long as either of you, but to know Bakugo treated him so harshly as to..." Flames licked his skin involuntarily as he failed to finish his statement. Memories of Endeavor popped into the dual-quirk user's head.

"Actually," Iida interjected before someone else could volunteer too, "as the class rep it is only fair that I punch him on behalf of the entire class. I will gladly take any punishment my future actions will incur." He stated ominously. It was then those still in the room finally noticed the dark aura coming from their usually serious (although sometimes silly) friend.

Tsuyu cleared her throat pointedly. "Iida, maybe you should take your own advice and take a moment to calm down as well? That look in your eyes is starting to scare me."

He seemed genuinely confused. "What look?"

Ojiro winced from where he sat next to a non-visibly upset Hagakure. "I think she just means you seem really, really angry. It is sort of strange to see such a look on your face, but it obviously isn't the most unsettling thing we've seen today. And your anger isn't necessarily unwarranted." The blond sighed. "I'm... pretty mad as well. Midoriya and I aren't super close, but we're definitely friends."

"It hurts to know what happened to Midori," Hagakure added, a few sniffles escaping her. "This does tell us why he was so skittish at the beginning of the year though. His stuttering, his flinches, his high pain tolerance, his desperation to prove himself; I guess there was more to the bullying than we originally thought."

"I hate Bakugo," Uraraka suddenly said. Her voice was filled with venom; however, tears were welling up in her eyes as she struggled not to cry. "I hate him so much more than I thought I could ever feel towards someone. Does that make me a bad person? We just had empathy training today, and I know hatred is not becoming of a hero, but I just..."

She had to stop when a sob threatened to crawl its way out of her throat. A sick feeling settled over her even as Tsuyu put a comforting hand on her shoulder, her face pinched with emotion.

"You are absolutely not a bad person, Ochaco." Her black eyes bore into brown. "While hatred isn't a healthy emotion to feel, ribbit, it doesn't mean you're wrong for feeling it."

Todoroki and Iida agreed. With their past experiences with Endeavor and Stain respectively, both of them knew firsthand what damage the dark emotion could bring. Still, they had eventually been strong enough to overcome any negative feelings holding them back from doing good.

Uraraka wiped at her eyes. "I don't _want_ to hate him, but how can I not? Deku-kun is the sweetest boy in our class. He's kind, caring, friendly, and heroic. I knew Bakugo bullied him, but I never thought it went that far back. And I sure I never thought Bakugo was cruel enough to say what he did."

"None of us expected it," Yaoyorozu spoke up softly. She'd been silent and deep in thought since they left the classroom. "Midoriya, how we have come to know him, is the heart of our class. He's a humble leader everyone draws strength and inspiration from while also possessing a heroic heart. He cares fervently for others, and it is because of this none of us ever thought he'd lived through such horrible treatment yet still remained so kind of a person. Then there's Bakugo," she frowned harder, "who has been disrespectful, violent, and hateful since the first day of class. Despite his obvious intelligence and skill in battle his attitude has always been unmanageable. Even so I also found his past actions a complete shock. For someone who said such deadly words and hurt another person to also desire so badly to be a hero is strange."

On the other side of the room Tokoyami stood up. His sudden movement drew the attention of everyone else in the room.

"I apologize, but I think it would be best if we allowed Midoriya and Bakugo to speak for themselves. It doesn't sit well with me to discuss important matters when we've only seen snippets of the full story from either side. I won't disagree by defending Bakugo's past actions, but I believe it's more important to make sure Midoriya is okay when he returns. He might also feel that seeing his memories made him appear weak in our eyes, which we should make sure to not let him think. Rather than attempting to harm Bakugo we should all put Midoriya's well-being first."

"That's understandable," Tsuyu and the others nodded slowly. She turned her attention back to Uraraka. "Want me to get you something to drink? I have a feeling you'll be waiting in the lounge with everyone else until Midoriya comes back."

The brunette smiled shakily. "I wish we could go to him, but I suppose I'll have to settle for waiting for him. And yeah, a drink would be nice, Tsu-chan. Whatever you want to get me is fine. Thank you."

And so Uraraka, Iida, Todoroki, Tsuyu, Yaoyorozu, Ojiro, Hagakure, and Tokoyami waited. Upstairs dealing with the situation by themselves in the privacy of their own rooms were Shoji, Mineta, and Sato. The remainder of class 1-A was gathered in Kirishima's room.

It wasn't a pretty sight.

"There has to be some sort of explanation, right?" Kirishima asked the occupants of his room. After breaking down on Mina upon entering the dorm, Kaminari, Aoyama, Sero, Koda, and Jiro had decided to try to comfort him. "I know Bakugo isn't the nicest guy, but he couldn't have been that much of a bully."

Sero winced. "I dunno, man. Sure he's chilled a bit since the beginning of the school year, but he's always been an ass. You remember how he fought Midoriya back in the first battle trial of the school year?"

"He was more than competitive," Kaminari reminded. As he spoke he did so with a phone charger hanging out of his mouth nonchalantly. "I mean come on, Kirishima. He ignored his teammate to go beat the crap out of Midoriya _because he could_. One of those blasts he'd set off would have seriously harmed or even killed him had Midoriya not dodged, and in the battle against All Might he slugged the poor guy in the face just because he wanted to work together."

Kirishima continued to cry, his voice wobbly.

"He's been getting better though, hasn't he?"

"Define better," Jiro said sullenly. "He still treats most of us like dirt. I doubt he even knows our names. You're his friend and he still calls you one of his stupid nicknames half the time. Everyone else is an extra in his eyes, and he acts like he'd be happy if Midoriya stopped breathing."

A few occupants of the room flinched at that.

"I'm sorry guys, but this is just too much." The redhead stated morosely. "Mina knows this, but I got bullied a lot in middle school. There were a couple bullies throughout the years that made me doubt myself. They hurt me with their unmanly words, and made me feel like I was a complete loser. It wasn't until I started sticking up for others than I decided I should stick up for myself too. Once that happened they backed off pretty quickly. One of them even apologized to me."

He took a deep breath before continuing. "I'd overheard Bakugo used to bully Midoriya from Uraraka. Weirdly enough that just made me want to help both of them, but Midoriya already had Uraraka and Iida. No one was even trying to form a connection with Bakugo, so I tried."

"And you succeeded." Aoyama comforted with a sparkling wink.

Kirishima smiled slightly, but it fell within seconds.

"I wanted to give Bakugo the benefit of the doubt, because usually guys like him hurt others because they're hurting themselves, but after seeing what he said to Midoriya, who is also my friend, I wonder if I should keep trying to help him open up. No matter what I don't think I could face him right now. Part of me hurts so badly though, because I am basically his only friend here and I know he's going to need one right now more than ever, but I just..."

Mina wrapped her arms around him once more, and Kirishima gratefully accepted the hug.

Then Koda spoke up.

"I-I don't know if this means anything, but I was bullied a lot in elementary and middle school too." His quiet voice wavered, unsure. When Jiro motioned for him to continue he gave a small smile of thanks. "It's, um, why I'm still pretty shy around people. Others made fun of the way I look, how I talk, my voice, my quirk, and how I would cry so easily. I… I think Midoriya had it worse than I did, but unlike him I wasn't friends with anyone who bullied me. F-for him, he must not have been able to stop seeing Bakugo as a friend. I mean, he still calls him Kacchan, r-right? He might not be aware of how mean anything Bakugo said or did to him was."

Sero nodded. "Yeah, maybe that's part of it. I'm also sorry to hear about that, guys. That must've sucked."

Koda and Kirishima nodded mutely.

"I had to transfer schools at one point," Aoyama suddenly voiced. Everyone turned to him, shocked at the admission. He was always so confident that hearing this was unexpected. Suddenly Mina felt bad for constantly interrupting him whenever he tried to speak.

"Dude, I'm so sorry." Kaminari immediately said. "Do you... want to talk about it too?"

The blond shook his head, his usually chipper tone more somber than any of them had ever heard it. "I'd rather not, _étincelant_ , but I will say that I understand what is going on with our classmate Midoriya. Being friends with someone for them to turn on you is the worst kind of betrayal. Denying that they're hurting you is the first thing that happens; making excuses, feeling like you're the problem, thinking negative things about yourself comes after. All the while you still try to appease the person hurting you. Some even believe they deserve it, and that the warped relationship they have is better than any alternative."

"That's messed up," Jiro nearly whispered.

"It is, _ami_."

For a moment there was silence, and then: "What should we do?"

Kaminari's statement was met with either more silence or an "I don't know".

"We obviously need to check up on Midori at some point," Mina finally said. "He needs to know he's not alone. Even if Iida and Uraraka beat us to it we won't lose anything by showing him we're here for him too."

Everyone agreed on that notion.

"And Bakugo?" Kirishima questioned.

"I'm just going to ignore him for now," Sero sighed. "If I pretend like he doesn't exist I might be able to stop myself from provoking him."

"Me too," Kaminari said. "No poking fun at him for a bit, I guess. If he's not already expelled or suspended he's going to be pissed either way. I'd rather steer clear and let the teachers and Midoriya's squad deal with him."

"I never really interacted with him anyway, and I think he needs to deal with this himself. I'll probably ignore him too." Jiro explained, Koda and Aoyama nodding along with her.

Mina seemed conflicted. "I want to confront him for hurting Midori, but you guys are making me feel like the odd one out here."

"I want to talk to him too," Kirishima said. He squeezed the pink hand holding his own. "Maybe we can confront him together?"

She smiled. "Sounds like a plan, Kiri. Until then, how about I get you something to drink? Don't want you getting dehydrated from shedding all those manly tears."

The redhead managed a laugh. "Thank you, Mina. There's plenty of juice and soda in the mini-fridge over there if anyone else wants some too."

"I could go for some pop," Kaminari grinned. Jiro and Sero shrugged but asked for some as well. Koda and Aoyama politely declined, retiring to their own rooms.

Downstairs, Bakugo made the mistake of entering through the front door.

The blond stormed in immediately attracting eyes from a third of the class from where they sat in the common room. His face was frozen in his resting scowl, red eyes burning bullet holes in those staring at him. As he slipped off his shoes a growl escaped his lips. He was warning them not to bother him; however, when he made to head towards the boy's side of the dorm he found Uraraka, who he hadn't noticed initially, standing in the doorway.

Arms crossed, the gravity quirk user met his eyes defiantly.

"We need to talk."

"Do I look like the nerd to you? You can talk to him whenever the teachers are done coddling him like the baby he is."

"Oh, nice insult! I bet you have a lot of time to come up with them since it's not like you have any friends to spend time with."

Bakugo raised a hand, sparks flying.

"What the hell is your deal? Out of my way, Round Face. Now."

"Is that how you solve every problem? With violence? By hurting others until you get your own way?"

"You don't know shit about me," he said, anger levels rising. "I'm going to say this one more time; get out of my way!"

"No."

For a split second Bakugo seemed surprised, but it wasn't a moment later that he began to raise his arm. Whether or not he was going to actually blast her or shove her out of the way was unclear, because before he could do anything violent a strong hand wrapped around his wrist fearlessly.

"How dare you!" Iida hissed, eyes narrowed. The expression was unlike either Uraraka or Bakugo had seen before and for a moment the blond faltered. "Lay a finger on any of my friends one more time, and I won't hesitate to punch you in retaliation."

The class rep's usual aura was not unlike Dark Shadow's as he stood beside Uraraka. Part of him wanted very much to punch Bakugo like he'd stated earlier, but his morals were still holding him back. Barely. If he was going to break the rules and disrespect the school over someone like Bakugo then he wanted to make sure it was because he couldn't do anything else prior.

Todoroki watched the scene from a couple yards away, body tense in case he needed to freeze the blond to the floor.

Bakugo instinctively brought his free arm up, palm open as he readied a small explosion and prepared to blast the boy away. "This doesn't involve you, Four-eyes. Now back off before I kill you!"

"Iida-kun, let him go."

"But—"

"That's it, you uppity bastard. I'm done waiting around!"

Bakugo's palm sparked, but at that moment Iida let him go only for Uraraka to act. She had already been moving when Bakugo readied his assault. Unexpectedly slapping him right across the face with a loud smack, he was sent floating backwards and roaring in anger within seconds. She released it a few moments later leaving him to fall back to the floor, a couple feet not managing to harm him at all. He did look like he was going to murder her and Iida though.

"You're both dead," he seethed.

"Totally worth it," Uraraka whispered to Iida.

"Bakugo," Todoroki's cold voice suddenly cut through the tension. "It would be unwise for you to try attacking them again. I will freeze you up to your neck in an instant while Yaoyorozu will be forced to get Aizawa-sensei. After what he witnessed in class I assume one more wrong move with him could very well lead to expulsion or at least a higher punishment than what he must have given you already."

The curling of Bakugo's fists yet no further aggressive movements confirmed his statement.

"I rest my case."

"Whatever, Icyhot bastard. What the hell are you all doing here looking like we're about to take part in some warped intervention bullshit?" Was all Bakugo spit out as he glowered at those in the common area. "I don't have any obligation to explain myself to the bunch of you idiots. I also don't have to stand for you not letting me go to my own damn room. Well, class president and vice president?" He said the titles with scorn. "Why aren't you telling Round Face to get out of my way?"

Yaoyorozu made to answer, but Iida raised a hand to signal he wanted to answer.

"Bakugo, do you realize how important Midoriya is to some of us?" The blue-haired teenager questioned. His tone could barely be considered tightly polite, fury and resentment just underneath the surface.

"Like I give a—"

"I'm sorry, but that was meant as a rhetorical question. All you're required to do is keep your mouth shut at the moment," Iida interrupted. From across the room he could have sworn he heard Hagakure whisper "savage".

"As I was about to say," he continued, "Midoriya is not just our classmate. To me he is a true friend. I care for him almost as if he were my own brother. Imagine my dismay at finding out the amount of abuse you put him through was not limited to what has occurred here these past months. Could you imagine for just one second what it might feel like to find out someone terrorized his younger brother for years and even had the audacity to tell him to take his own life?"

It was like the air had been sucked out of the room. Iida's chest was tight as he fought off tears; he couldn't cry right now. He had so many more things to say. With the way Bakugo actually seemed to still from his words he realized this was the prime time to let his feelings be known.

"For many," he continued after a shaken breath, "myself included, he is an inspiration. He cares deeply about doing good in the world. He is passionate about helping others above all else, even at the cost to himself. I used to wonder if he was just that pure-hearted. Is he really so selfless as to die for others without a second-thought? While many heroes have a similar mindset I can't help but worry you helped him develop this self-sacrificing streak. He belittles himself, you know. Thinks he's not strong enough, not worthy to be here, like he could be doing more. Does he feel this way because you beat it into his head for years that he was what you called 'useless'? Well, does he?"

Bakugo rolled his eyes, but there was a slight twitch to one of them that made Iida and Uraraka wonder what was actually going through his head.

"Just because you're friends with the Deku doesn't make you entitled to know everything about him. It also doesn't mean I have to explain myself either. Newsflash, nerd herd, but I don't owe any of you anything."

"How can you say that?" Uraraka stepped forward, Iida and Todoroki watching the other boy apprehensively. "You know what, Bakugo? I don't know how you can even call yourself a hero."

"I don't give a shit about what you know or don't know. I'm going to be number one and that's all that matters."

The girl shook her head sadly, her anger fading into a mix of pity and apathy.

"That's the problem, isn't it? The only person you care about is yourself. Deku-kun, your classmates, everyone you call extras— none of us are more than pebbles on your path to being the so-called best."

"Well I'll be damned; you finally hit the nail on the head."

Todoroki frowned, his arms crossed.

"What about Kirishima?"

The blond's face was strangely neutral. "What about him?"

"He was trying not to cry on his way back here, and I have a feeling from the way he ran straight to his room once we got back that he couldn't hold it together longer than he had. Are you telling me you don't care that he's upset? Are you telling me that Kirishima, the one who spent everything he had on night vision goggles just to help rescue you from the League of Villains, isn't your friend?"

There was a hopeful moment when he could have nodded, said yes, or anything that wasn't what he actually ended up saying.

"Of course he isn't. And I never asked for any of your help, so drop it."

Todoroki's mask switched from one of indifference to one of severe disappointment and loathing.

"I see. Well, I hope you can be happy with yourself at some point. Without friends, without any one who can stand being near you with that self-centered attitude, I guarantee it will be a hollow, lonely way to the top. If you make it to graduation that is."

With that the fire and ice user made his way out of the dorm. His prime concern after listening to Tokoyami's wise words was Izuku. Since Bakugo was here that meant there was a high chance Midoriya would be coming back soon as well. He also trusted Uraraka and Iida to deal with Bakugo, whatever such a task entailed.

Shortly after his leave Uraraka told Bakugo she wasn't done with him. Iida stated something similar, the two of them both deciding to follow Todoroki's actions and leave the dorm after him. Those still assembled in the common room gradually went about their regular business without saying a word to the strangely restrained blond.

As for Bakugo, he walked up to his room without having to worry about anyone else stopping him. He did, however, slow down to a stop in front of Kirishima's door.

Raising a hand to knock, it was only right as his knuckles were about to graze the wood that he stopped. The image of the redhead crying popped into his head. His gut twisted uncomfortably at the thought.

Then he heard a couple of voices coming from inside the room before him. Clenching his fist, the blond quickly retreated to his own room and locked the door. He couldn't face his other classmates right now. Not after what happened in the common room. No, he would wait until he could talk to Kirishima alone.

 _This is all Deku's fault,_ he thought while trying not to blow up any of his belongings. _I may as well kiss taking the provisional license exam goodbye, because there's no way in hell I'd ever apologize to him. And for that sleep deprived jerk to sentence me to anger management and counseling sessions... Bullshit. If the shitty nerd had just kept quiet about the past, then I wouldn't be in this situation right now._

But that wasn't the real problem, was it?

He brought a hand to where his cheek had stung from Uraraka's slap. The girl might be small but she had fine wrist control with the strength to boot.

 _Stupid Round Face._

His gaze fell on the wrist Iida had gripped.

 _Stupid Four-eyes._

The words Todoroki said to him before leaving burned in his mind's eye.

 _Stupid Half-n-half bastard._

Finally, Izuku's honest green eyes when he stated they were friends towered over his other thoughts.

"Stupid Deku..."


	13. Izuku is daydreaming (3)

AN: Thirteenth chapter: consequences continued! 1 or 2 more chapters to go (depending if I keep writing more than I intend). Once again, a lot of the reasoning and logic is open to debate. I just really wanted to get all thoughts/interpretations and feelings out there. I'd say more but man am I tired... 80 hours worked this week and the next 2 days off will be spent driving and moving into permanent housing. I can live with my cat once again though, so yay~!

* * *

After Bakugo had stormed out, the principal dismissed All Might and Izuku.

"I have a couple more things I wish to discuss with these two," he motioned to Aizawa and Daydreamer. "For now why don't you escort Midoriya back to his dormitory, All Might?"

The retired hero nodded.

"Of course, Nedzu. Let's get going then, shall we, my boy?"

"S-sure."

With that All Might and his successor left the room, leaving the mammal to voice the question he'd been itching to ask.

"You aren't really planning on expelling Bakugo, are you?" He asked Aizawa with intelligent eyes.

Aizawa sighed. It seemed the principal could see through his deceptions with no trouble at all.

"You're correct. I'm not."

Daydreamer seemed completely at a loss. "I'm sorry, but _what?_ "

"That's surprising," the principal replied while shushing the younger hero with a paw. "You've expelled others for far less."

"That was just a ruse to get him thinking about his actions. His prior schools failed to teach him about consequences, but I won't be able to stand facing Midoriya in class if I didn't take initiative. The kid doesn't deserve it. Kicking Bakugo out of here when I know we can help him mature though would only be damning him to a fate of bitterness and rage, which while I'm not concerned about him ever turning to villainy is a waste of potential. That being said he still must take responsibility for his actions, because while he is not entirely to blame for how he turned out he ultimately chose time and time again to do harm rather than good. No, I think a better punishment than simply parting ways will be to teach him why his current and past treatment of Midoriya is deplorable."

"I see. That will be quite the task, won't it?"

"It's not a task. I simply can't stand by to watch two of my top students suffer. Midoriya needs to realize his self worth, and Bakugo needs a wake-up call. Honestly the latter of the two will be where most of my time is spent, especially since he still treats most of my other students with complete disrespect. I'll work on that with him too," he noted mentally. "Either way, I'm hoping Bakugo's classmates help speed up the process. It's not hard to see how much the other students look up to Midoriya. They'll most likely knock some sense into Bakugo's head because of this. As long as they don't attack him I think their intervention will lead to him having his suspension lifted before the end of next week."

"Almost two weeks?" The Mind Reading hero questioned. "You think it will really take him that long to bring himself to apologize to the poor kid?"

"I hope you do not pity Midoriya, because that problem child, despite having a far too forgiving heart, is stronger than he seems. Also I estimate it will take at least a full week before Bakugo even thinks about apologizing. Finding it in him to come up with a genuine apology with all of the pride he carries? A week and a few days is my minimum estimate."

Nedzu couldn't hold back a chuckle. While he opened his maw in favor for discussing moving Daydreamer's lesson to Friday, two days from now, down the corridor All Might was attempting to wrap his head around the situation with "his boy".

"Young Midoriya, I can't say I would have defended Young Bakugo like you did back there. Part of me is amazed at your capacity to forgive. On the other hand, it worries me that you don't quite comprehend the magnitude of his actions."

Izuku tried not to sigh. He failed miserably. Explaining himself was going to be a common theme these next few hours.

"I know everyone I talk to is going to judge me for defending him, but I thought you of all people would understand."

All Might's heart throbbed painfully at the statement. As they rounded the wall and made their way to the stairs leading to the back entrance to the building he contemplated how to approach this.

"I apologize. I didn't mean to make you feel as if I were judging you. I've been a hero a long time, my boy, and back when I was your age before I received One For All I dealt with a fair share of bullying as well. What you showed us today scared me. Other kids would call me names, sure, but there were plenty more quirkless individuals when I was young, so the anti-quirkless sentiment found in some places today shocks me. No school would ever have allowed the treatment you underwent to happen forty years ago. And to know one of my own students acted so unheroic disappoints me greatly."

"Kacchan was just trying to protect me," Izuku stated again.

"Then why did he look so surprised when you mentioned that in the principal's office?"

"I think he was just shocked that I saw through his mask. He's played the role of a jerk since we were four; I guess he doesn't want others to discredit his image after all of this time either. He might have to admit to everyone that he doesn't actually hate my guts."

"Or maybe he didn't know it himself until I said it," he breathed longingly.

The hero continued to frown as they made their way outside. Heading towards the direction of Izuku's dorm, they kept chatting.

"Pardon me for being a bit reluctant to believe what you say as the truth. I heard the things he said to you during the battle trial, you know. The animosity he was filled with did not feel forced or fake."

"He was upset because he thought I was lying to him about not having a quirk our entire life. Wouldn't you be upset if a friend of yours lied to you like that? For over a decade? Not that I did lie, which I tried to explain to him previously even though he didn't believe me, but..."

His attention shifted at the sight of a familiar face approaching the duo.

"Todoroki-kun?"

"Midoriya." The dual-haired teenager nodded to All Might as well. "I came to see how you were doing."

"I'm fine," Izuku stated with a small smile. Todoroki wasn't impressed.

"I see. Well. if you need to fight someone as a means to decipher your emotions and overcome your traumatic experiences I will gladly volunteer to help you."

The greenette was split between laughing and face-palming. Before he could do more than stare at Todoroki in wonder though, Uraraka and Iida were suddenly there.

"Deku-kun!"

Arms encircled him without warning, slipping under his arms and around his torso firmly. Uraraka's head came to a rest on his shoulder a second later.

"We've been worried about you since Aizawa-sensei dismissed class! Are you okay?"

"That question is a bit silly," Iida attempted to cut in only to be ignored. It seemed Uraraka and Izuku had realized their position and were both blushing madly as Uraraka jumped away from her classmate. Watching the oblivious lovebirds was a silent Todoroki as well as a chuckling All Might.

"Uraraka-chan!" Izuku shouted awkwardly as he flung his arms about. When he finally settled down both of his arms were above his head in a perpendicular fashion, pink still painting his cheeks.

 _Cute_ , Uraraka thought. _Wait, no! Not cute! Abort that thought process this instant, Ochaco! He's going to be a hero, which means he won't have time for trivial high school crushes!_

A girl could dream though, couldn't she?

"I see you don't need me to escort you all the way to the dorms after all, my boy. It seems you have some good friends here to do that instead. Make sure no one bothers him too much, Young Iida?" All Might requested with a smile.

"Of course. All Might-sensei!"

Turning to Izuku, the teacher rested a hand atop his protege's head affectionately. "I'll talk to you more tomorrow morning in between classes. If you need anything do not hesitate to message or call me. You can also call Aizawa if you wish. Is that all right, Young Midoriya?"

He nodded. "I'll keep that in mind. See you tomorrow, All Might, and... thank you for caring."

All Might's eyes wrinkled with the size of the smile that enveloped his face.

"You don't need to tell me thank you, my boy. I care whether you wish me to or not."

Shortly after the teacher bid his four students farewell, Iida herded them in the direction of Heights Alliance. None of them protested.

At least not at first.

"Guys?" Izuku said when they were about to walk past their dorm's gates. "Can we maybe wait a little bit before going in?"

Todoroki frowned. "Why?"

"I'm not sure if I'm ready to face our classmates right now," he admitted. "The memories you guys saw earlier, the ones with Kacchan from elementary and middle school, I didn't intend for any of you to see them. It was all a moment of panic that caused my thoughts to drift. I'm sure Kacchan is being treated really harshly because of it, am I right?"

"I might have slapped him."

Izuku blinked at Uraraka in awe.

"Y-you slapped Kacchan?"

"I sure did. I kind of wish I'd punched him instead though, but the goal was to make him float so a punch wouldn't have cut it."

"I can still punch him if you want," Todoroki offered.

"I can't believe you're still alive," the greenette whispered to himself before shaking his shock off. "I mean, Uraraka-chan, you didn't have to do that! What happened in those memories took place a while back. It's all behind us now. I never let his words get to me," a tiny little white lie, "and I'm not mad at Kacchan anymore. Todoroki-kun, please don't punch him. He's on thin ice as it is and I really don't want to see him expelled."

Iida's eyes widened behind his glasses. "Midoriya, you do realize how someone like him cannot possibly become a hero? He told you to do something unthinkable, irreversible! Do you really think someone who bullied you like such can help people? You should be wishing for his expulsion if anything."

To everyone's surprise Izuku looked done.

"Iida-kun, I appreciate your concern, but you did not grow up with him. You saw a couple memories. A few brief moments in time. Those, coupled with your impression with Kacchan since school began, are enough to tell you whether or not he has the potential to be a hero? I'm sorry, but I don't think so."

"But Iida has a point," Uraraka pressed. "I thought he was just a jerk, but he's worse than that."

"Precisely. It's like a stated on the first day of class. The way he talks, the way he acts, he's more reminiscent of a villain than—"

"No."

Izuku's hands curled into fists, his eyes shutting before opening again with the relaxing of his hands.

"Uraraka-chan, you fought Toga, didn't you? She attacked you will the intent to kill, but wanted to slice you up beforehand?"

"Um, yeah." She answered despite her confusion.

"And Todoroki-kun," Izuku continued, "you witnessed Shigaraki's hatred during the USJ attack? The warp villain's brutality in hurting Thirteen and intent to cut All Might in half? Not to mention the other countless villains that attacked our classmates." A nod.

He faced the class rep. "Iida-kun, I don't even need to ask about the encounter with Stain. And the feeling when All For One appeared. It felt like dying, hadn't it?"

Iida could only stare into his friend's pleading green eyes as said student took turns looking at each of his friends.

"When I fought Muscular, I thought I was going to die. His entire aura screamed death. He had a sick fascination with making people bleed and playing around with them like Toga; he was going to kill Kota-kun just for the fun of it. He found joy in killing," he stressed. "We barely escaped with our lives. I have permanent damage to my arms from that fight, and of course more scars. But my mother's tears after hearing about me being in the hospital were the worst."

The trio listened intently as Izuku's voice became more laced with emotion. To Uraraka's horror her friend's eyes seemed to start shining, like he would soon start crying.

"How can you compare Kacchan to those people? Cold-blooded murderers and psychopaths. I get he's not the greatest person, but he's not the worst of the worst either." He took a deep breath as if trying to calm down, but his eyes prickled with tears. "I know it doesn't seem like it, but he has feelings too. All you see is anger and arrogance? He's so much more complex than that. He feels pain, humility, sadness, embarrassment, joy, and everything we feel, because he's human, a hero in training just like us. I know it's hard to see him that way. Yes, he hurt me for over a decade. Yes, he told me to jump off a roof. Does that really make him a villain though? Does that make him any less of a human being? He didn't act that way because he could. He acted that way, still acts this way, because he's dealing with the fact he doesn't see himself the way he projects himself. He's not full of pride. He thinks he's inferior… to me."

Todoroki couldn't keep quiet any longer.

"That's still no excuse for his behavior, Midoriya. While it doesn't make him a villain he made the decisions to harm you. He was and still is a bully."

" _I know_ , Todoroki-kun. _I_ am the one he would seek out and attack. I'm just trying to explain why I forgave him a long time ago. Part of it is because holding grudges aren't my thing; I'm quick to forgive as it is. Another part of it though, is that..." he trailed off for a moment, lips pursed in thought. "I feel a lot, I guess? Maybe it's a higher form of empathy or something. Anyway, it makes it hard not to forgive others when you feel like you know them. When you feel like you really understand and connect with them. For Kacchan I believe I know where he was coming from. Since he was born people told him he would be the best hero because of the quirk he was born with, and from our peers to our teachers they encouraged the inflated ego we see today. His parents didn't really help either. Between his dad's complacency and his mom's own violent behaviors Kacchan turned out exactly as anyone in his situation might have. Sure he could have been less of a jerk, but when we were four the adults didn't correct his behavior. They let him do whatever he wanted, even hurt me, with barely an admonishment. They also were part of the group that taught my peers a quirkless kid like me would never amount to anything. Before Kacchan got his quirk, before the world around us changed and along with it my childhood friend, he was a kind person."

He took a moment to breath before going on.

"Maybe you guys do have a point though. All Might, Aizawa, and I'm sure the rest of the class won't understand just like you don't about how I could possibly admire and forgive him despite all he's done. He did hurt me, and I couldn't stop him. I barely stood up for myself either. I bet you all think it's because I'm... weak."

"We don't think that!" Uraraka cut off, her own eyes shining with tears. "You're one of the strongest people I know. In more ways that one, even. Deku-kun, you risked your life to save me in the entrance exam. You always put others before yourself. Iida-kun, Todoroki, tell him!"

"She's right," Iida agreed. "You saw earlier in class, but you are part of the reason I am on track to becoming the next Ingenium. I would have died if not for you."

Todoroki's eyes turned somber. "I would still be under my father's thumb, filled with hatred and resentment if not for your influence. You gave up winning the sports festival to help save me from myself. I can use the full extent of my quirk, because you were and are still are a hero to me."

"See?" Uraraka smiled. "You are anything but weak, Deku-kun."

Izuku didn't seem to sure, but their words were getting to him as evidenced by how he started crying even harder.

"Thank y-you."

The trio found themselves hugging Izuku, Uraraka having made the first move while Iida followed and motioned for Todoroki to do the same.

"We're here for you if you want to continue this conversation inside," Iida stated after a while during their embrace.

"Or if you need time to rest you can do that and just text us later if you feel up to talking more." Uraraka added.

Izuku chuckled warmly.

"You guys are the best friends I could ask for."

To their amusement Todoroki nodded resolutely, looking confused when neither Uraraka nor Iida did as well.

"Anyway," the greenette continued after the group hug was disbanded, "I think I really just want to lie down in bed for a little while. Maybe resting or doing homework will help me stop thinking."

"You're heading to your room then? I shall escort you!" Iida said with a charismatic smile. "I do recommend grabbing a snack on the way upstairs though. Dinner isn't for a couple more hours, and after such an ordeal the appropriate sustenance would be…"

Izuku listened as Uraraka got Iida going on what type of snack would be the best for himself to eat, Todoroki listening to the discussion with rapt attention. The whole sight made Izuku feel warm inside.

He wouldn't trade his friends for the world.

* * *

It was nearly curfew when Bakugo finally found himself getting out of bed.

"Hey, Kirishima." He said at a reasonable volume before knocking on the redhead's door. When there was no response Bakugo checked the time on his phone, waiting until it was exactly ten o'clock to try again. "You in there, Hair-for-brains? It's not very manly to miss curfew."

There was sound coming from inside the room then, the blond's skin buzzing with a strange feeling of nervousness he'd never felt before. It couldn't be that he was anxious to see him?

The door inched its way open until there was just enough room for the usually smiling boy to stick his head out the door.

"Uh, hey, Bakugo."

Said visitor froze.

Kirishima wasn't smiling. In fact, he wouldn't even meet Bakugo's eyes.

That hurt Bakugo more than he liked to admit.

"So," he started out gruffly, "how are you doing?"

"I'm... alright I guess. Listen, can we talk?"

"If it's about that shitty nerd's memories, then the answer is no."

Without warning Kirishima pulled the door open wide enough for his entire body to be able to fit in the doorway. When he raised his eyes to meet crimson the blond was taken aback by how puffy and red they were. It seemed he'd been crying a lot that night.

"Why are you here?"

"Icyhot told me you looked upset earlier," was the answer.

"And you wanted to check up on me? Is that it?"

"Of course not."

Unfortunately, Kirishima was not in the mood for dealing with Bakugo's roundabout way of caring.

"Look, Bakugo, I was pretty upset earlier. I still am. That stuff Midoriya, _my friend_ , showed us all earlier in class was seriously not cool."

The blond had the audacity to scoff. "Deku isn't making a bit deal of it, and yet everyone in class is collectively losing their shit. So what if I roughed him up a little bit when we were kids? He literally came to me most of the time. Always getting in my way or protecting other kids at his own expense; it was his own fault he ended up hurt."

Kirishima shook his head, his frown becoming more pronounced. "You do realize how messed up that is, right? He was just trying to do the right thing and you hurt him because of it. If at any point in time you sought him out just to make fun of him or beat him up that makes you a bully. And you wouldn't know this, but I dealt with my fair share of bullies in the past too. That makes it all that more difficult to process what you did."

"I don't understand why everyone around here besides Deku and I are so damn bothered. He's fine now, isn't he? And that stuff about the roof, it's not like I meant it. He freaking knew I wasn't serious."

"He has scars."

Bakugo's eyes narrowed.

"What?"

"Have you never noticed the marks on his back, chest, and shoulders? The ones that are starburst shaped look similar to smaller burn marks caused by your explosions. I thought when I heard you were childhood friends that perhaps they were accidents from practicing quirks or something, but I guess I was too stupid to face the facts." There was a pregnant pause. "You put them there on purpose, didn't you?"

Bakugo was silent.

"The other scars from before U.A.," the redhead went even at the risk of waking Shoji, "maybe you didn't cause them, but he definitely couldn't have done them to himself. That means others were hurting him too and you still treated him like dirt. Not to mention the way he used to flinch at even the friendliest of touch. And the way you spoke to him, the way you still speak to him... Seriously, Bakugo, it was like looking in a _mirror_."

Kirishima was silent for a moment before continuing shakily.

"A-anyway, I don't know if I can do this anymore. I really admired you. I thought without a doubt that we were friends, and while I know you do care at least a little bit about me it's… not enough. You can't just care about me and then go around treating the rest of our classmates like trash. As for Midoriya, he deserves more than an apology. You need to start treating him better. You need to start treating everyone better. Until then, I don't think I can hang around you anymore."

"What the hell are you saying?" Bakugo's voice came off as angry, but there was an undertone of despair in it.

To his horror the redhead starting crying once more.

"I'm saying until you begin respecting our classmates and apologize to Midoriya for what you put him though, we… we can't be friends anymore. I'm s-sorry."

With that Kirishima quickly receded into his room, all but slamming the door before he began crying even harder. This left the unnaturally quiet Bakugo standing in front of the door with drooping shoulders. His eyes were wide in disbelief, his mind empty before filling with the fitting imagery of an explosion.

 _Deku!_

* * *

The next couple days were a bit rocky.

For starters, Bakugo's absence was strange to Izuku. The feeling that he wasn't in class because of what he'd let slip yesterday made him feel guilty despite knowing he shouldn't, and Kirishima's smile looked positively fake. Mina, Kaminari, and Sero along with Aoyama, Koda, and Jiro to a lesser extent seemed to gravitate towards him in hopes of cheering him up. Izuku made a mental note to talk to him at some point during the weekend. Part of him felt like the redhead wanted to approach him anyhow, but wasn't quite sure how much time either of them needed before bringing out any tear-stained laundry. Izuku could definitely help with that... after he dealt with his own issues.

Because telling his mother about the decade of abuse he'd suffered from one of her closest friend's son was even harder than being told _"You're next."_.

 _"I'm sorry for lying about it all this time," he finished after All Might helped him tell his mother what he had trouble saying. It wasn't as difficult to recount the highlights of roughly ten years abuse after principal Nedzu had helped him work through the incidents just twenty-four hours ago, but watching the woman who raised and cherished him slowly deflate as he kept talking hurt so much more than a shattered arm or leg._

 _Apologizing didn't stop the tears either._

 _"Mom?"_

 _Inko's lower lip wobbled as he brought her son into a fierce hug._

 _"Oh, sweetie! I always thought something was off about you. All of the accidents, the lack of play dates shortly after starting primary school, and that nickname Katsuki called you. I knew it wasn't endearing at all. I'm the one that should be apologizing. You felt like you couldn't tell me. I failed as a mother; I should have been more involved! I trusted you, Izuku, but it seems I trusted you so much it blinded me from the fact you needed help."_

 _"Mom, you didn't fail me! I was the one being secretive. I-I didn't want to bother you," he stated again._

 _"Izuku, you're my baby boy. As much as you make me worry when you get hurt you will_ never _be a bother to me."_

The tender scene before All Might and the principal was drastically different from what they dealt with next.

 _"…and there you have it." Nedzu explained the situation with measured flourish, awaiting the elder Bakugos' reactions. Masaru had been holding onto his wife's hand tightly as if trying to calm the woman down. Mitsuki, on the other end of the spectrum, quickly grew angrier and angrier as their collective horror grew._

 _When all was said by the principal said mammal waited for the reaction to their son's punishment. Inko had been fine with it, ultimately agreeing that Aizawa's logic was sound logic considering how much she knew Mitsuki would let her boy have it once she heard about it._

 _He wasn't expecting the blond woman to punch her own child though, especially not in his own office._

 _"You shitty brat!" Mitsuki roared, towering over her son and ignoring her husband's attempt to get her to sit back down. "How dare you do that to Inko's sweet boy? She's practically a sister to me and Izuku has been nothing but kind to our family. I don't care what those dumbass teachers did or didn't do to inflate your ego; bullying to that extent should have put you in juvenile detention! Ugh, I'm so mad at you right now Katsuki I could just—"_

 _"Excuse me!" Nedzu shouted. All at once Mitsuki turned on him, her red eyes narrowed into a scowl not unlike her son's. "Please take your seat, Bakugo-san."_

 _"Why should I? I'm not done with him yet."_

 _"Honey, please. We are in his office. I'm sure he doesn't appreciate all of the yelling._

 _"Tch, fine."_

 _Masaru put a hand on his wife's wrist, gently dragging her back down into her chair. All the while Bakugo stared at the floor. For a moment his hand gravitated to his cheek, where his mother had delivered a strong right hook, but his hand dropped back down into his lap rather quickly. It seemed he had no intention to comment._

 _The interaction rubbed Nedzu the wrong way. As the conversation continued, it seemed Masaru blamed himself as much as the teachers and his son. Mitsuki felt otherwise._

 _"What are you talking about? We raised him just fine! It's not like we didn't tell him over and over again to respect others and to not be a dick to other people."_

 _"Perhaps, but he gets his habit of screaming, swearing, and violent behavior from you and you know it. While I do believe Katsuki made the ultimate decisions to hurt others, there is no denying we along with other adults with the responsibility to raise him right had some part in this." Her husband dared to voice._

 _It was only then Mitsuki began looking the slightest bit guilty. Sure, she swore at him a lot. Maybe she slapped him around every once and a while. She was his mother though! She was just disciplining her child!_

 _Or was she instilling her own bad habits onto her boy his entire life?_

 _None of them could be sure. Either way, the future was what they had to focus on now._

Bringing the two families together to decide on future ministrations was another story. Strangely enough, things went oddly smooth when both of them were called into the office at the same time.

 _"It appears you've both come to the same decision on how to handle your sons' previous schools actions, or lack of action, in all of this." The mammalian teacher hummed. "Daydreamer will be able to provide the Hero Association with what information he cataloged the day prior, such as what staff allowed what incidents to happen and so on, with Young Midoriya's signature. Neither student will have to be outright involved. As the parents, however, you will be kept updated on any progress made. The individuals involved will lose their teaching rights and face the consequences their actions charge them with. While I know it isn't as of the same priority both families involved will be receiving compensation from the school boards should particular penalties apply."_

 _"I want you to give anything our family receives to Inko," Mitsuki interjected._

 _The elder greenette tried to talk her out of it. "Mitsuki, that really isn't n—"_

 _"I don't care. We're well off enough as it is, so I want you to have anything that comes our way. It's the least Masaru and I can do for failing to control our son."_

 _"Are you sure?"_

 _"Absolutely. And also, Inko…"_

 _The elder Bakugos stood up then, turning to face Inko and Izuku while Mitsuki grabbed her son by the arm so he was facing them as well. After a moment all three of them were bowing in apology._

 _"For everything that has happened," Masaru began before the trio spoke at once (a hit upside the head getting the youngest Bakugo to join his parents)._

 _"We're sorry."_

 _Inko brought a hand to her chest, eyes filling welling with tears once more._

 _"I— thank you, Mitsuki, Masaru. I forgive you. Katsuki," her voice became sterner, "I will attempt to forgive you once Izuku lets me know you're off suspension. There's no use in apologizing to me when he is the one who truly needs it. I don't care how long it takes, just know what I wish for is for Izuku to be happy. And if I know my baby well this means you two will need to talk things through."_

 _There was silence, and then:_

 _"Okay, Auntie."_

* * *

AN#2: Next time, anger management with Aizawa, counseling with Present Mic, and a heartfelt chat between Deku and a certain someone~


	14. Izuku is daydreaming (4)

AN: Fourteenth chapter: part 4 of what is turning into a story of its' own gosh dang it. I have a train to catch or else I'd spend more time on this note but basically I moved into my new place which ended up with me hurting my back but thankfully I have 5 days off so yay! More time to write~

* * *

Immediately after the meeting dismissed, after the Bakugos and Inko said goodbye to their sons, Izuku attempted to talk to his childhood friend. The way he'd spoken to the elder Midoriya made it seem like he was willing to remedy the situation. Maybe he already understood what he did was wrong, and was ready to apologize.

Izuku needed to stop his wishful thinking.

"Kacchan?"

The word fell on deaf ears as Bakugo walked past him.

"Give him time," the principal recommended as he and the greenette watched Bakugo storm off without a word. "Focus on yourself for now. You have a pop up counseling session tomorrow during your free period with Present Mic you might want to prepare for."

Izuku tilted his head in confusion.

"I thought Hound Dog was the Lifestyle Guidance Counselor? And aren't those meetings on Wednesdays? Tomorrow's Friday."

"They will be, but Present Mic is the perfect teacher for the exercise we have in store for tomorrow. He also expressed interest in helping handle the situation. We wanted to get a first session in before next week anyway, so I hope this doesn't interfere with any plans you had."

"It doesn't! I'm actually looking forward to it," he smiled brightly.

Nedzu nodded, a pleased look on the mammal's face. He had been worried Izuku would be adverse to the prospect of counseling. It appeared he'd been concerned for nothing.

"Anyway, I'll just head back to the dorms then. I have quite a bit of homework to get done. Thank you for everything, Nedzu-sensei!" He called while taking off down the hall with a wave. After a couple seconds he had turned the corner and disappeared from sight.

The principal's smile turned somber, a sad look entering his eyes. Izuku was such an intelligent child. He possessed such a big heart and heroic spirit, as well as the drive to become a hero the world could look up to. Yet he brushed off such uncouth behavior like it was just part of how things were. Like he deserved it. It was because of this that it was obvious to those teaching him, however, that while the boy possessed great qualities he lacked something very important.

Self-love.

* * *

 _Day 2 of Bakugo's suspension (Friday)_

"For your first session today we are going to discuss the topic of abuse. We will go over what exactly it is, why your actions classify as such, and why it is unacceptable."

Bakugo simply glared at his homeroom teacher. It was obvious he was staying quiet out of stubbornness, seeing as he didn't want to be there. It was lunch break for the rest of the students, so the sound of footsteps in the hall broke the silence of the empty classroom somewhat, but even without the background noise he would have been comfortable sitting in silence for half an hour.

Aizawa sighed internally. He wasn't going to ask his student to speak, which meant he would have to coerce him into talking the only way he knew would ensure his participation.

"There are various forms of abuse." He began in a monotone voice. "I'm not going to go into detail on all of them, but I will focus on physical, verbal, and psychological instances of abuse I witnessed in Midoriya's memories. The most obvious would easily be physical abuse. It can consist of actions like punching, kicking, pushing, slapping, choking, biting, and so on. Your actions also fell into the subcategory of physical abuse that involves weapons, since your quirk classifies the use of explosions as such. Nod if you acknowledge that you did partake in said form of abuse."

His student acted as if he hadn't heard.

"We make these lessons a daily thing if that's what you wish. We can also do them after school instead of during lunch, so that way you and I can sit here in silence for hours on end."

After a solid minute of scowling, Bakugo finally moved his head a minuscule amount.

The teacher hummed, not exactly categorizing the movement as a nod but glad the teenager listened to him anyway.

"Verbal abuse as its core means using words to bring another person down. Midoriya's hero name, for example, used to have another meaning. You called him Deku because it meant useless due to your unfounded belief that quirkless equates to useless. You also said a plethora of other insulting things to him throughout primary and secondary school. Do you acknowledge this?"

This time Bakugo nodded properly, his scowl becoming slightly more subdued.

"Then there is psychological abuse, or emotional or mental abuse, which is tied hand in hand with verbal abuse in many cases. It is when one subjects another to behavior that results in heightened stress, anxiety, depression, trauma, and so on. You, Bakugo, know as well as anyone what affects you've had on Midoriya. He suffered from an unhealthy amount of anxiety when he first arrived here. He is still a naturally anxious student, but it is safe to say his stuttering habit may have been directly caused by your constant mistreatment of him. He was completely isolated until recently because of your actions preventing him from having any friends. He grew discouraged to speak up because your peers and teachers made him feel like whatever he had to say was meaningless, wrong, or ignorant. You threatened him time and time with violent words, going even as far as eluding to suicide. Do you acknowledge this?"

"Shut up."

Aizawa's eyes narrowed.

"That was not an appropriate response. Please nod, or answer with a yes or no."

"Damn you!" Bakugo suddenly burst, sparks escaping his palms before his quirk was cancelled out. "Fine! Yes! You already know what shit I did, so what's the point of grilling me for confirmation?"

"Because one of the first steps to changing your ways is to realize what you did as abuse, and also to understand that abuse is wrong."

"I'm not a dumbass like Dunce Face or Raccoon Eyes. I already know all that," the blond growled.

His mind wandered to the conversation he'd overhead between Izuku and Todoroki during the sports festival. The image of a conceded Endeavor gloating in the stadium stands about his son's purpose in the stadium stands and then the scar on Todoroki's face made his gut twist.

He remembered Kirishima's words the other night too.

 _"He has scars."_

Bakugo shook the thoughts away. He was nothing like that flaming ball of trash.

Right?

"Don't refer to your classmates as such. They might not be as book smart as you, but their heroic passion makes up for that. As the years go on their intelligence will grow. That being said, I would like us to continue with the matter at hand."

"Whatever."

"Now, Bakugo, why is abuse wrong?"

"Because the other person isn't strong enough to fight back and win."

Aizawa sighed. "No; not at all. Let me tell you something first, and then try to answer again. An abuser," he began, "is someone who does any one or more of the forms of abuse I mentioned earlier. In a less politically correct manner, an abuser is a bully. A bully takes out his or her anger, vulnerability, and sadness on someone else in order to gain something whether that be a physical reward, a feeling of satisfaction or happiness, or basic entertainment. The person they target is usually viewed as weak and unable or unwilling to fight back, which makes them an easy target. The strong picking on those perceived as weak all so one can feel better about themselves while another suffers."

"That's not true," Bakugo responded without prompting.

The teacher made a mental check-mark: he had made some sort of progress.

"Care to explain what about my statement was false?"

"Bullies don't always target the weak. Sometimes they hurt someone they believe to be stronger than them, someone they perceive to be a threat. Someone who thinks they're better than them."

Aizawa kept his face neutral. "You're referring to Midoriya, I assume."

"No shit."

"Language," he chastised. "Anyway, you are telling me while despite calling Midoriya every synonym for weak, useless, and unintelligent you actually recognized him as someone strong?"

The blond crossed his arms, turning his head away agitatedly.

"Listen closely, because I will not repeat myself again. Deku is the stupidest person I've ever had the unfortunate luck of knowing. We met before I could even remember. According to our folks we were as inseparable as babies could get. I can only vaguely remember a few snippets with him before I got my quirk, but we were what you could call friends, I guess." He admitted grudgingly. "His dream of being like All Might was actually something I admired about him. We both watched All Might on the news, and while I thought we was cool Deku's admiration for him went to a whole other level. He barely paid attention to me whenever the topic of All Might was brought up, going off on little nerdy tangents about him and how he was going to be a hero too. It pissed me off."

 _He was jealous, huh?_ Aizawa thought.

"I decided I would just have to be better than All Might. It was about the same time my quirk manifested, which made me even more confident that I would one day become number one. With a quirk like mine there was no one I wouldn't be able to beat. Especially quirkless Deku." He turned his red eyes to his teacher's, fierce determination lighting them as he continued. "But he didn't understand."

"What didn't he understand?"

"How to give up. He was quirkless, damn it. The doctor told him he'd never get a quirk, but despite that he still thought he'd be able to be a hero like All Might. He still thought he could be number one, that he was better than me, even though I had a quirk perfect for rising to the top as a hero. If someone in class was feeling left out or sad he would try to help them feel better like he was some crappy rescue hero. He kept butting into my business, getting in the way when my friends and I were being a little rough with some of the other kids. He actually thought he could fight me. You saw how that ended though, did you? He was nothing but a crybaby that wouldn't stop getting up."

"I see. And that frightened you, didn't it?"

"Of course not! It made me mad, because he thought he was so tough when he wasn't! He didn't know when to stop. Even after I beat him up a couple times he still followed me around. I thought maybe he would finally realize how much better I was than him, that he was too weak to ever be a hero, but one day he pissed me off so much I gave up trying to set him straight."

Aizawa blinked tiredly.

"It was when he tried to help you up after you'd fallen off the log, wasn't it?"

A nod.

"You do realize how injured you could have gotten. Midoriya wasn't out of line to see if you were physically unharmed after such a fall."

"You didn't see the pity in his eyes when he looked at me," Bakugo countered.

"I highly doubt it was pity, Bakugo. You may not comprehend this but Midoriya looks up to you greatly. I'm sure you've noticed how even some of his fighting tactics and mannerisms were inspired by your own."

"He copies me just like he copies All Might." The blond barked with an eye roll. "It's not a compliment, it's an insult."

"We're getting off topic," Aizawa decided. He could feel a headache coming on. Why was he doing this again? Expelling his student would be so much easier than trying to knock some sense into the boy's thick skull; unburying any sort of compassion hidden underneath his mountain of pride was going to take quite a while too. "From what I gather you found Midoriya's unwavering determination and heroic spirit threatening. This made you recognize him as a rival of sorts, is that correct?"

"If that's how you want to word me thinking of him as more than an extra that didn't even put up a fight, then sure. Unlike everyone else who either were scared of me or sucked up to me because I was strong he actually had enough backbone to have an opinion."

"I'm sure that's what you think back on, but it was obvious that your harsh treatment of him made him more and more subdued as time went on. By primary school he still stuck up for others yet he allowed you to do whatever you wanted to him. He grew too afraid to fight back."

Bakugo stayed silent. It was then Aizawa checked his watch, noting how there were only a couple minutes left of the lunch period.

"It seems we'll have to resume this tomorrow afternoon. Lunch is almost over and I have a class that starts in less than ten minutes, so you should head back to the dormitory."

"What? You said every other day!"

"I did, but I can also add sessions as I see fit. We made a minimal amount of progress today. Tomorrow at the same time I want you to report here so we can finish discussing why abuse is not acceptable. I will also be asking you once again why abuse is wrong, and I expect a better answer than what you provided today. While you're at it I want you to research the legal consequences of abuse."

"Why?"

"For perspective, Bakugo. Or maybe a quiz that will be worth as much as an exam. Either way, do as I ask unless you want these sessions to be daily. Now get going. The bell will ring any second, and you have homework to do. Just because you're suspended does not mean I will tolerate you falling behind."

 _Meanwhile, in Present Mic's classroom…_

"Now do it with me, little listener!"

"Yamada-sensei, I really don't—"

"I can't hear you!"

"Please, I can't yell nearly as loud as you."

The pro hero threw Izuku a megaphone of all things. "Don't worry about it! My classroom is sound proof due to my itty bitty habit of using my quirk in class. Throw away your inhibitions, kid, and yell with me!"

The greenette gulped, but after a few moments resolved himself to turn the megaphone on and nod.

"I'm ready, sensei."

"Great! Now, we're going to scream what we went over on the count of three. One, two, three!"

Simultaneously, their ear-drum shattering voices filled the classroom.

 _"I'M IZUKU MIDORIYA—"_

 _"I'M HIZASHI YAMADA—"_

 _"— AND I'M PROUD!"_

 _"What else?" Present Mic screamed. "Go crazy, kid!"_

 _"I'M GOING TO BE A HERO!"_

 _"And what's your hero name?"_

 _"DEKU, THE HERO WHO ALWAYS DOES HIS BEST!"_

 _"Plus ultra!"_

* * *

 _Day 3 of Bakugo's suspension (Saturday)_

The second session began similarly to the first.

"So, Bakugo, did you do the research I told you to?"

"Yeah. Want me to list off the different punishments for various offenses? You weren't very specific, so I assumed you would be giving me a stupid quiz."

"Nope, no quizzes."

The blond looked murderous. "Are you serious? You fu—"

"Language. I never said I would quiz you, just that I wanted you to do research and that their might be a quiz. I did tell you, however, I wanted an answer to the question I asked though. Have you come up with one?"

"I guess."

There was a long pause. It seemed as if Bakugo was waiting for Aizawa to say something, yet he underestimated how patient his teacher could be. After sitting in silence for nearly five minutes Bakugo snapped.

"It's wrong, because people don't deserve to be treated like crap."

Aizawa raised an eyebrow. "That's what you came up with?"

"Got a problem with it? It's bad, okay? I looked up a bunch of stories about abuse victims went through and it made me fu—"

"Language."

"—freaking mad. I got 'perspective', all right?"

"Are you positive?"

"Yes!"

"Okay then, if that's true then I want us to do some role play."

"Seriously?"

"When am I ever not serious?" He stated dryly. "Let's get started. You're minding your own business in the park when a bully starts punching and kicking another kid who doesn't want to fight back. You tell the bully to stop, but he decides to beat you up instead. Did you deserve the broken nose the bully ends up giving you?"

"Yes, because I should have beaten the crap out of the bully before he landed a hit on me."

"Wrong. Pretend you're roughly six years old, not sixteen, and try again."

"Ugh, fine! No, I didn't deserve the stupid broken nose, but I should have been able to prevent it by evading the other guy's attack with my own."

Aizawa sighed. "Closer, but still wrong. Here's a hint. When you're that small you should try to prevent danger to yourself by doing what?"

"Having better defense."

"No."

"Wearing armor."

"No."

"Getting backup?"

"No. Bakugo, here's another hint: someone older than you."

"Get an older kid to beat the bully up for you."

 _That's it,_ Aizawa thought to himself, _today is the day I quit. Goodbye, Hizashi, Toshinori, students. I will hardly miss you. Sleep, here I come._

"I was joking!" The blond suddenly burst out, no humor in his voice present to indicate he'd been joking. "Getting an adult, teacher, or a hero instead of going in blindly is what you're going for, right? If it really were me though I would have beaten the crap out of the bully. Especially since adults are shit at protecting kids nowadays."

 _Interesting,_ the underground hero noted.

"I honestly don't doubt that part about beating the bully, but in this scenario quirks do not apply. You eventually answered my question correctly enough though. Here's another scenario that's a little more personal. If someone told one of you to jump off a bridge because they hated you so much, then how would you feel?"

"I don't give a damn about other peoples' opinions."

"Pretend you're Midoriya then, or perhaps another classmate who is a bit on the sensitive side. Maybe Kirishima?"

Bakugo's fists clenched.

From where he sat on his desk, Aizawa watched his student calculatingly. He wasn't a fool. Observing how close the angry problem child had become with one of the most chivalrous boys in the class, one whose personality was so different from Bakugo's own, had been intriguing. The teacher hoped their friendship would lead to Kirishima's influence rubbing off on the other teen. It had, but it was quite obvious after what had happened that the usually cheery redhead was very affected by Bakugo's past actions.

Maybe Kirishima would be the push his friend needed to change for the better?

"This is a stupid scenario," the blond finally muttered.

"Your opinion on it doesn't change the question."

"Whatever. I guess, if it were Deku or Kirishima," he paused in thought, "they would feel upset."

Aizawa raised an eyebrow. "And?"

"They would probably cry about it at some point."

The teacher continued to stare.

"They would— ugh, they'd feel pretty shitty, okay? It would probably make them wonder what was so bad about themselves that someone could hate them so much to say something like that to them. They probably wouldn't contemplate it, but they might take the words to heart." Kirishima's sobs were fresh in his mind. "They might start hating themselves too."

"Good enough an answer for me," Aizawa shrugged before pulling out a slip of paper. "Next I am going to read you a compiled list of points many psychologists and related professionals touch upon when educating individuals on why abuse is wrong. Are you ready to pay attention? This time I will be quizzing you at the end."

Bakugo sighed.

"If I say no I just have to sit here until I say yes, so whatever. Let me hear it."

"Great. First off..."

The blond tried his best to zone out as Aizawa droned on. It was hard to ignore his gruff voice though, as well as the piercing look in his tired eyes whenever he glanced away.

"Abuse is not a laughing matter. It should not be condoned or supported by any party, and ignoring it is like saying abuse is natural. You are hurting somebody whether it is physically, psychologically, or otherwise. It should not be minimized. One slap or brushing it off as someone being too sensitive is downplaying the severity of the situation. A couple so-called insignificant incidents can be enough to completely change a person. Becoming depressed, self-deprecating, and so are only a few examples of how abuse impacts your victim."

 _This is stupid,_ Bakugo thought to himself. _Roughing Deku up as a kid wasn't a big deal even if some of the later stuff counted as abuse. He was strong enough to take it anyway._

"Furthermore, you must realize such actions are negative and will have just as negative consequences. Hurting another merely because you can without repercussions is misleading. Not getting caught, or if the reward outweighs retribution for some time, is also misleading. Sooner or later harsh punishment could come from allowing abusive behavior to go on. Being arrested, jail time, losing their job, financial penance, broken relationships with family and friends, ruined reputation, and much more can come about. That's not even including what the victim of the abuse could be going through. Many victims have high medical bills due to the fees for counseling, medical attention in some cases, and other needs."

Bakugo couldn't help the churning in his stomach that came with thinking about Kirishima's reaction to the whole incident. Sure the blond had lost friends before due to his aggressive personality and shitty attitude, but losing the sharp-toothed boy made his chest ache unlike he'd ever experienced. His parents' feelings of disappointment in him were nothing new. Inko's, on the other hand, made him actually feel a prickle of guilt.

"Unfortunately, the victim usually ends up taking the fall for the consequences of abuse due to victim-blaming. Even during the act of violence or verbal attack the abuser more often than not defends his or actions by stating 'she deserved it' or 'well if he hadn't done A, then I wouldn't have done B'. This mentality is toxic. You alone are accountable for your own actions; you alone are in charge of making the changes necessary to remedy abusive mindsets."

"There is help though, which is what you are getting now." Aizawa finished with as the bell came dangerously close to ringing. "We'll continue this on Monday. You are dismissed."

With that Bakugo got up, exiting the classroom while his teacher prepared for the next class. As the blond walked down the hall he noticed Izuku in the teacher's lounge with All Might. The two were drinking tea and appeared to be in deep conversation.

 _Stupid nerd,_ the blond cursed him before continuing on his way. _What makes him so special?_

Izuku sneezed.

"You okay, Deku-kun?"

Uraraka's voice snapped him out of his stupor.

After the meeting with Nedzu and their families it was obvious Bakugo was steering clear of Izuku. Or were his classmates making sure Izuku stayed clear of him?

Today, for instance, some of the greenette's classmates were still treating him a little too much like he was made of glass. Whenever Bakugo left his room, Shoji would make sure to intercept the path to Izuku. If the blond entered the kitchen to eat or the bathhouse to shower, any one of his classmates would pull him away elsewhere or block his path. It honestly bothered him a lot more than he cared to say, but he couldn't be too upset with them. He understood their hesitancy to allow Bakugo to see him. Still, he wasn't ready to address any of their concerns.

Well, almost. After the heartfelt conversation he'd shared with his mentor that afternoon he finally got perspective on why everyone else was so concerned for him.

Which led to him texting his best friend to help him transverse his mess of thoughts.

"Deku-kun," Uraraka repeated with a tone Izuku couldn't quite place. "I'll wait here as long as you need me to, but you said you wanted to talk?"

"Y-yeah, I did. I, um, had a question?"

She smiled. Worry had begun to show on her face when Izuku texted her to speak privately only for him to have trouble finding the words for over five minutes. "Go for it."

He took a deep breath.

"Is forgiving a-an abuser wrong? Even if they don't deserve it?"

Uraraka froze, her smile slipping off of her face faster than she could fully process the question. Her emotions bubbled up within seconds and the lingering rationality in her brain screamed at her to tell Izuku to ask someone like Iida or Todoroki this question. She wanted so badly to say yes.

"I think forgiveness is... healthy. For the person doing the forgiving, that is."

Hope filled Izuku's eyes.

"Really?"

"In my opinion, yes, but that's something you should talk to someone professional about. Even more so, Deku-kun, is forgiving him in this case really reasonable?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well," she glanced to the side, "how do I put this? Um, I don't really get how you can forgive Bakugo if you don't even know what you're forgiving him for."

"I don't understand." Izuku frowned. "He bullied me. He hurt me. I know the more gritty details of it all, but I do know what happened to me more than anyone else."

"You say that, but has Bakugo even apologized to you? I don't think you can forgive him until he asks for it. While it's true you can forgive someone without prompting in this situation there's a lot of baggage to unload before everything can be brushed off with a simple 'sorry' and 'I forgive you'." She bit her lip, voicing her thoughts further once she'd gotten them together. "And besides, I feel like you don't actually think he did anything wrong. From what you've told me in the past and what you're saying now it seems like you've been unconsciously conditioned to believe you're the one to blame for everything that's happened, not him."

"That's not true! I do acknowledge Kacchan did some very bad things, but—"

"This is what I'm talking about, Deku-kun! He didn't do just 'very bad things', he abused you, which you sort of acknowledged earlier, but saying you finally get it is different than actually believing that you were innocent in every incident that occurred. Nothing, and I mean nothing, was any of your fault. You felt guilty about him getting suspended, right? You shouldn't! His own actions got him in trouble, not yours!"

Izuku's mouth was a thin line.

"You have a point, but even if I fully blamed him for what I went through how does that solve anything? It doesn't fix anything."

"Exactly. You can only do so much; Bakugo is the one who will need to do most of the work. Until then you should stay away from him. He's likely only on stage three and is probably blaming all of his misfortune on you."

"Stage three? You mean the stages of grief? Kacchan has been in denial, angry, and telling me everything that goes wrong is my fault since we were kids."

"Then he's been stuck on stages one through three for years. That's even worse. And it's all because he has some inferiority complex, is that right?"

"I'm pretty sure that's it," Izuku stated tiredly. The two of them should not have decided sitting on his comfortable bed would be a good place to talk things out. "I think All Might figured out the same thing during our final exam last semester. That was also the same time I found out his perfectionist complex went even further than I thought."

"Deku-kun, we're not here to talk about justifying his actions."

"I know, I know, I guess I'll stop."

"It's too late now. I can't let you keep thinking whatever you're thinking is an excuse."

"I, well, he's been under the impression since we were kids that his quirk would be perfect for heroics. Since then he's done whatever it takes to get the best scores, win any competition, and so on so he can call himself the best of the best. After coming here he realized he wasn't the best."

"So his pride was hurt. That's not your fault."

"That's... true. Um, anyway, during the battle against All Might I finally realized he was willing to break himself to become the best. All Might literally had to knock him out to stop him from fighting. That was how badly he wanted to win."

"For what?"

"Huh?"

Uraraka looked at Izuku meaningfully despite his confusion.

"Why does he want to win so badly? Why does he want to be the number one hero one day? To simply be the best, or...?"

"Well, he…"

Izuku went silent as a dawning look of realization entered his eyes. For several moments he just stared, his thoughts racing a mile a minute as he mentally ran through the events of their childhood. Had Bakugo wanted to be a hero after getting his quirk, after seeing All Might in action, after finding out what heroes were, or something else?

 _When was it?_ Izuku thought, occasionally mumbling words under his breath. _He thought heroes were cool before he got his quirk, but that was before he met me. He didn't initially want to be the number one hero though. He didn't even really follow All Might's career all that closely until… huh. I_ _was the one who introduced him to how amazing All Might was, wasn't I?_

"I..."

 _Then when did he start caring about who was going to be number one hero someday? I vaguely remember him declaring he would be the best the day I returned to school diagnosed as quirkless. Was that the first time? That was also the first day he told me to give up on my dream to be a hero, I think._

Izuku's thoughts halted. That couldn't be a coincidence, could it?

"Deku-kun?"

 _It can't be. Kacchan wouldn't have… right?_

"I don't—"

Tears suddenly filled the greenette's eyes, shocking Uraraka slightly because she had no idea why her question would set him off.

She put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"Uraraka," he stated shakily. "I think I understand now."

"Understand what?" Now she was getting even more worried.

"Kacchan always used to state he wanted to be a hero for the money and glory, not helping people or simply for the sake of beating up villains like I wished were his real reasons. I, I think, it's because of me."

"No. Deku-kun, there's no way he—"

"That's not what I meant! There was no way I was any sort of inspiration to him at that age. He knew within one day of meeting me that I wanted to be a hero just like All Might. After telling him that he said he wanted to be a hero too, because he also loved All Might, but he never really talked about it after that. It was always me. It wasn't until after he got his quirk, and after I was deemed quirkless, that he talked about becoming a hero like All Might. The best of the best. The number one hero. My dream."

Uraraka's stomach felt like lead.

"He didn't try to crush your dream of being a hero," she stated softly, wishing she was wrong. "He tried to steal it."


	15. Izuku is split

AN: Fifteenth chapter: alternatively titled "Class 1-A and the Seven Deku's", Izuku is hit with a quirk that splits him into different aspects of his more prevalent emotions. What will class 1-A do when sides of Deku they've never seen before run amok at the USJ? Takes place after the Stain Incident in Season 2 but before Final Exams.

* * *

If you asked Aizawa, the mess before him was entirely All Might's fault.

Said number one hero was currently trying to maintain a charismatic smile as the smoke cleared from inside the controlled burning building Izuku was still inside. While the fire itself was dead thanks to a One For All powered flick of the young boy's finger, the bright purple smoke coming out of the building's open door was just as troubling.

A hero in training from the visiting school's class had been considerably pale when he'd run out of the building. He'd quickly apologized for accidentally using his quirk, all gestures and rapid explanation of what would happen to anyone in contact with the smoke. The guilty student had promised to reserve the effects just as his exhaustion got the better of him, leaving him unconscious and unable to reverse the effects of his quirk until he woke up. While All Might understood it had been unintentional, a bodily reaction due to being surprised by Izuku's quirk in action during their exercise, it didn't change the fact class 1-A was about to be in for a world of trouble.

"What exactly does this quirk do?" Uraraka asked from where she stood with the rest of the class in suspense. All Might had just told them to be on guard because of a quirk gone wrong, which wasn't really helpful in getting a picture of the situation. "It's not like that one kid's zombie quirk from a few weeks ago, right?"

"According to the boy's file his quirk is called Split," the number one hero explained. "He can emit a gaseous substance from the palms of his hands not unlike Young Bakugo's sweat that leaves whoever breathes it in to be literally split into several different aspects of their personality. The aspects sometimes try to separate because they are aware of their existence."

"Creepy…" Kaminari whispered to Mina.

"Some of the aspects run because they are finally getting to call their own shots. Repressed characteristics of a person act out when given the opportunity for reign of their own self rather than being forced into sharing a body. This makes some of the more troublesome than others."

Yaoyorozu raised her hand.

"All Might-sensei, what are the exact terms of counteracting the quirk? Surely even if the user is unable to reverse his own quirk there should be a time limit or way to snap the affected out of it?"

The hero grinned at his student's sound logic. "Correct you are! The effect ends after an hour or so, once the individual aspects are reunited, or once the boy reverses his quirk with a counter gas he is able to produce. Considering the boy is out cold and school will be over in less than an hour I recommend we simply gather Young Midoriya's aspects together before they run off."

Many of the students nodded in acceptance, an annoyed sound escaping Bakugo who glared at the building Izuku had yet to exit. From the back of the class Aizawa returned from where he had spoken to the other high school's teacher about taking their class back to the main school. The boy who fell unconscious needed to see Recovery Girl anyway, and honestly the teacher was worried about the aspects somehow escaping the USJ, so he ordered the other teacher to lock the facility down upon exiting.

"So," Kirishima drawled as they waited, "how many aspects of his personality are there going to be? Should we expect three or four or ten or…?"

As he trailed off All Might hummed in thought.

"The file wasn't very specific, as it affects each person differently since it amplifies the person's strongest emotions or characteristics, but a note in the margin stated those he's used his quirk on can split someone into over eight aspects."

"Wow. Well, I hope there's only a few, otherwise we might have a difficult time rounding him—them, up."

Bakugo uncrossed his arms so he could release a small explosion.

"Hair-for-brains, this is Deku we're talking about." He sneered. "His main personality traits are nerd, dumbass, crybaby, and idiot."

"I feel like dumbass and idiot are basically the same," Sero cut in.

"Shut up! Anyway, rounding his lame aspects up is going to be child's play."

As if his words were a signal, a figure finally became visible in the only slightly smoking building. The class watched in bated breath and confusion as a blue-haired, blue-eyed, and blue-uniformed version of Izuku stepped out of the building timidly. It was like he had been inserted into Microsoft paint and had his most defining features altered in color.

When he caught sight of them watching him he let out a terrified yelp.

"P-please don't hurt me!" He shouted with his hands splayed in a show of peace. "The others keep arguing and I couldn't take it anymore. I can go back if I'm bothering you! I'm so, so sorry. I'm always a bother no matter where I go," he said as tears gathered in his eyes, his entire form trembling.

Uraraka stepped forward slowly, concern evident on her face.

"Deku-kun? Nobody here is going to hurt you. Why don't you come here and tell us what the others are arguing about?"

He shook his head violently. "I'm Blue, Deku but not really _your_ Deku. He's brave, kind, and heroic. I just encompass his feelings of anxiety, fear, and sadness. And, um, I think I'll stay over here, Uraraka-kun. It's not that I don't trust you, but…" His blue-eyed stare landed on Bakugo and tears instantly materialized at an alarming rate.

With rising tension most of the class turned accusing eyes on the explosive blond. Iida opened his mouth to question what the Blue Deku was talking about when another aspect of Izuku suddenly barreled past the first one before nearly jumping into Uraraka's arms.

"Don't let Blue get you down! He's just afraid of Kacchan, not that I blame him. Anyway, I'm Yellow Deku!" He crowed excitedly while letting go of a blushing Uraraka and flashing a peace sign at his classmates. His yellow eyes shined like stars. "I embody Deku's feelings of happiness, friendship, and general positivity! Anyway, if you really want to coax skittish Blue over here you're going to have to be calm, cool, collected, and kind. He scares extremely easy. Todoroki-kun is probably your best bet. Blue is a bit attached to him anyway since empathy is one of his strong points."

The half-and-half hero in question tilted his head in confusion, wanting to know the reasoning behind that, but his attention flittered to yet another aspect of his friend before he could say a word.

"Yellow, can you please calm down? You're most likely annoying our classmates with your loud voice. Also, what have I said about touching other people? You should ask permission first."

This came from a purple-haired Deku, who simply strolled over to where Aizawa and All Might were standing with arms crossed. When he just stood there mumbling under his breath, Iida dared to tap him on the shoulder.

"Midoriya?"

The purple-eyed boy raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, Iida-kun?"

"Which aspect of our friend are you, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I'm Purple Deku," he answered without much expression in his voice or on his face. He seemed perpetually bored, yet lost in thought at the same time. "I'm more or less his intelligent side. When it comes to analysis, book smarts, battle strategy, and so on, I am who makes him excel. Also, just so you know, you might want to be weary of a few of the remaining aspects. A couple of them are not as non-combative as the three of us."

"What do you mean by that?" Aizawa asked tiredly.

Purple merely sighed. "Not all aspects of someone's personality and character are outwardly shown. Some are buried deep down waiting for the potential to rise up over the others. White Deku is, for a lack of better terms, a villain."

"That doesn't make any sense," Hagakure retorted. "Deku's one of the nicest guys I know!"

At that moment three more figures tumbled out of the building, literally, and Blue screamed bloody murder before running directly into Todoroki's arms.

"You're strong, Todoroki-kun; save me!"

"From yourself?" The socially inept teen surmised.

"Especially from myself! And Kacchan. The burns hurt no matter how many times I think I'll get used to them."

This pissed the usually collected Todoroki off royally.

"Bakugo," he said with controlled murderous intent, "we are going to have words when this is all over."

"Actually," another's voice amended, "we can settle this now with quirks instead!"

From the scuffle composed of a red, gold, and white Deku, the speaker in question launched himself at Bakugo in a blur of white. The explosive teen barely had any time to raise his fists before the white Deku punched his childhood friend in the jaw. It was only after the gold and red Deku jumped on the white one that Bakugo recovered.

"What the hell was that for, Deku?" He raged, fists shaking in anger. "Affected by a quirk or not I'll freaking kill you for that!"

The gold Deku swore as the comment made the white Deku thrash even more violently.

"Kacchan, please don't make him any angrier. White already wants to make you suffer. Well, he wants to make anyone and everyone suffer, but you're at the top of the list."

"What are you talking about?" Yaoyorozu questioned as most in the class became defensive. Even Purple and Yellow were on guard, eyeing the white aspect of themselves like he was about to attack them too.

The gold Deku went to answer, but the red one responded first.

"White Deku here is your friend's buried feelings of hate, abandonment, hopelessness, and evil potential. Any sinful desires or ideas get lumped into him as well. Basically makes him a villain."

"I am not a villain!" White roared, nearly foaming at the mouth. Such a display unsettled the entire class, teachers included. "Everything I feel, everything I am is valid. These quirk-endowed, so-called heroes deserve to die! Especially Bakugo," he growled like a feral animal. "Hear that, Lord Explosion Murder? I'm going to enjoy making you scream just like you made me. Maybe I'll stuff your throat with explosives so you finally won't be able to run your asshole of a mouth."

Bakugo's eyes narrowed even more, a wicked smirk enveloping his face. "What did you say, nerd? I'll wipe the floor with your ass! Bring it on!"

"Nope." Kirishima intervened by grabbing Bakugo around the waist and hardening where he stood. "Down, Bakugo. You're only going to make things worse."

"The hell I am! Let me go, Shitty-hair!"

"How 'bout no?"

"Do it!" The white Deku screamed. "I'll make it so he'll never be able to create another explosion again!"

"Calm down!" The gold Deku hissed while putting his gloved hand over the other's mouth. He turned to his classmates sheepishly. "White has some problems. He rarely gets to come to the surface yet is kept around to keep myself in line. Oh, that reminds me; I'm Gold Deku, your friend's heroic aspect. His heroic drive, morality, justice, and strength are what make up who I am. Red Deku over here," Gold gestures to the scowling red-haired version of himself holding White down, "is Deku's anger, frustration, and more violent or self-destructive side."

"Whatever," Red said with an eye-roll. "It's not like you disagree with my 'others are more important than my own life' philosophy."

"We can discuss this later. Anyway, friends, you need to go inside the building now that the smoke has cleared and get Green Deku. White knocked him out before we could stop him, and the only way to put us back together again is to get all seven of us close enough together."

It seemed simple enough. All Might immediately made to walk towards the building at Gold's instruction, yet a loud sobbing made him hesitate.

"Gold, I don't want to go back!" Blue cried as he clutched Todoroki's shirt like a lifeline, big fat tears rolling down his cheeks. "Deku used to show me all the time, but ever since hero school he keeps shoving me down! He keeps hiding his feelings, his pain, his fear; that's not healthy!"

"Stop whining," Red chastised him. "He's been long overdue for growing a spine and stopping his crying habit. Besides, heroes always have to learn to hide their fear. You're no exception, Blue. We just learn to deal with it."

"Hey now," Yellow spoke up with a small chuckle. "There's no need to berate ourselves. Get it? Because we're literally yelling at ourselves? Ah, you guys are no fun," he waved off with a small pout.

Purple let out tired sigh similar to one Aizawa would make. "Yellow, how about you show All Might where Green is?"

"Sure thing!"

With that Yellow ran past All Might and into the building. At the same time though, Purple noticed the light beginning to come from White.

"Gold, Red," he shouted, "watch out!"

"Oh shit," Red swore at the same time Gold closed his eyes and braced himself.

A moment later, a blast of power sent the two aspects flying into the air.

"Deku-kun!"

"Midoriya!"

Several classmates called out for their friend as the power sent them staggering back as well. Todoroki was able to stabilize most of them with a wall of ice though, to which Blue was grateful for if the repeated "thank you" wasn't much to go off of. They waited for a couple more seconds for the dust to clear only to see Red and Gold lying quite a distance away. White stood once more, clutching his broken right arm to his chest like a wounded animal. His unsettling milky irises stared at his classmates in anger.

"Stop looking at me with such pity and disgust! If you knew even half of your so-called friend's true feelings, then you would understand why I exist. The fact that you don't have a clue shows how little he trusts you."

"Hey," Uraraka cut in, "Deku-kun does trust us! Don't try turning us against him just because the world wronged you."

"The world wronged me?" White shook, teeth appearing like they could shatter with how hard he was clenching his jaw. "You're absolutely right! My mom, who didn't believe in her pathetic quirkless child. Bakugo, my supposed childhood friend who turned on me the day he got a quirk and began bullying me when he realized I would never get one. My elementary and middle school teachers, who watched as Bakugo made the other children too afraid to be near me, who allowed him to send me home with bruises and burns when I was barely five years old, who allowed the bastard to tell me to jump off the roof of their establishment for growth and learning while a child was suffering! You're correct, Uraraka, when you said the world wronged me. _That's all it's ever done!_ "

His words silenced the clearing, a terrifying tension washing over those assembled there.

"All because," he continued a second later, "this stupid society cares more about quirks than it does the people who live in it. I hate it. I hate it so much!"

As he screamed his anger evaporated into broken shouts and tears, his limbs shaking with the burden of emotional and physical pain. The students and homeroom teacher of class 1-A could only stare as he began to back away, sobs sounding through the air.

"He's right," Blue stated as his own voice wobbled. "Even All Might told me, well, your Deku, that I couldn't be a hero without a quirk. I think there was a split second after that encounter that I actually contemplated jumping off the building All Might left me standing alone on. If it weren't for the explosions that wound up being Bakugo fighting the slime villain I might have started to think about it more seriously. It's really depressing to think about," he started crying. "After literally everyone in my life told me my dreams were hopeless, hearing it from my biggest hero shattered my heart."

"Oh man," Kirishima breathed.

Uraraka was aware of tears forming in her eyes, and the anguish of her classmates felt palpable.

"I sincerely apologize," All Might said as he appeared from the building with the green Deku in his arms. Yellow bounded next to him like a happy child oblivious to the heavy atmosphere.

"I told you this once prior, but even before your quirk manifested late I was wrong, Young Midoriya. I was foolish to judge your character, your dreams, on such a small piece of information. I had no idea you harbored such feelings."

Purple cleared his throat awkwardly. "I, we, forgave you long ago, All Might. While we carry these feelings with us like the memories that created them, I know for a fact we do not dwell on the things White and Blue fixate on."

"It doesn't mean he should bury those feelings either," Todoroki suddenly cut in. "White wasn't wrong when he said his feelings were valid. Pushing them down and hiding them is not healthy."

"You're right." Aizawa said. "Still, that does not mean White should react with the need for revenge through violence. While he is himself someone cruelly hurt by those who failed him, reacting with the intent to harm is villainous."

"Wisely put," Purple mumbled in awe.

"You're all idiots," White spat. With that little strength he had left he got up, legs shaking. He slowly began to back away as if daring Red and Gold to take chase. The moment the two aspects jumped forward to capture White again though, said villainous aspect broke out into a sprint.

 _Away_ from the group.

"Wait!" Purple shouted for Gold and Red to not go after him. "We can't just drag him back here."

"Yes we can." Red and Bakugo stated simultaneously, both of them scowling at each other for copying the other.

Gold tilted his head in confusion before it was like a light bulb turned on.

"Oh, I think I know where your thought process is! Are you thinking of sending a couple of our classmates after him?"

Purple nodded. "I was actually thinking Aizawa-sensei and Uraraka could go after him, but the two of you going with more students in order to flush him out of hiding might be helpful."

The homeroom teacher stared at the purple version of his student appraisingly.

"Smart choice, problem child. I would prefer if all of the aspects had a designated couple of students to watch over them though. I'm assuming Todoroki has the blue one," he commented without even looking at where Blue held onto the son of the number two hero like a lifeline.

"Oh, well I think Kirishima, Koda, and All Might would be a good fit for watching over him too. Maybe Kirishima and Koda could try to cheer him up while All Might talks through his issues with him? I'm fine with being watched over by Iida, Yaoyorozu, and Jiro. Yellow would do well with Mina, Hagakure, and Kaminari. Red would probably be best with Kacchan. Ojiro, and Sero. Gold would be best with Tsuyu, Tokoyami, and Shoji. Green can be best watched over by the remaining students."

"Why do we all need babysitters?" Red complained loudly. "Does no one trust the rest of us to be sensible enough not to run off?"

Gold sent Red a withering look. "If White didn't exist then you'd be the one everyone would be trying to catch."

"Whatever."

And so operation "Put Deku Back Together Again" was a go.

* * *

 _With Blue…_

"I don't want to talk to you." Blue repeated for the umpteenth time from where he hid behind Todoroki's protective form. "Please, just l-leave me alone."

All Might winced at the rejection, Kirishima scratching his head as he wracked his brain for a way to coax the timid aspect out. So far begging and reason weren't working, not that anyone blamed him, but something told them they needed to help Blue now before the aspect was lost. Well, not that he would disappear. He was only a part of what made Izuku up as a person. He would still exist, yet it wouldn't be the same.

The redhead's eyes roamed the nearby terrain until they landed on the forestland adjacent to them. It gave him an idea.

"Hey, Koda," he started with a whisper. The gentle giant turned to him shyly. "Can you ask some animal friends to come over? I think maybe something cute would be enough to help our buddy feel a little better."

Koda's eyes lit up. After frantically nodding, the usually silent boy took off towards the forest.

From behind Todoroki, Blue eyed Kirishima wearily.

"I don't understand." He said suddenly.

Kirishima tilted his head in confusion. "What don't you understand, Blue-bro?"

The terrified look in the aspect's sapphire eyes lessened a miniscule amount; however, he seemed more pained now than he had been.

"Why does Kacchan like you, but h-hate me? You're such a nice guy, Kirishima-kun, but when I was nice to him he just hurt me, because he said my kindness was telling him he was weak. Why do you get to be his friend while I'm nothing more than a... a stupid Deku to him?"

By the end Blue's voice was watery, big crocodile tears welling up in his eyes as he waited for an explanation.

The redhead's smile faltered.

He didn't have one.

"I'm sorry, but I don't—"

"It's fine," Todoroki cut him off. After a second he carefully positioned himself in front of the blue-haired Deku. Heterochromatic eyes stared down into ones that were cascading with anguished tears. "Midoriya?"

"Y-yes, Todoroki-kun?"

"I am going to be blunt. Bakugo is a jerk, and how he feels about you changes nothing. You're a self-sacrificing maniac sometimes but I'll be damned if one failed friendship makes you falter on your path to become a full-fledged hero." His voice was firm, not a trace of anything but confidence covering his words. "There will always be people who don't like you," a hand landed on Blue's shoulder awkwardly. Even so the softening of Todoroki's tone kept Blue looking at him in awe. "Their opinions don't matter though, okay? As long as you do what you love and be yourself those who are your friends will stand by you. Kirishima may be Bakugo's friend, but he's your friend too. If Bakugo doesn't want to be your friend, then he is missing out. Don't dwell on it. To me, at least, you're the best friend a person could ask for."

"Really?" Blue questioned breathlessly. "You mean that? You're not lying, are you?"

Todoroki ruffled the boy's shaggy hair.

"Do I seem like the person who doesn't speak my mind truthfully?"

"N-no. Thank you, Todoroki-kun."

"You're welcome, Midoriya."

It was then Koda returned with a couple furry forms in his arms. At the sight of them Blue's eyes dried up, a squeal coming from his mouth.

"Are those bunnies?"

Koda nodded enthusiastically before holding them out to the aspect.

"I can hold them?" Another nod, and a bright smile followed. "Thank you!"

As Blue situated himself on the ground with two adorable bunnies, he found himself glancing up shyly at a silent All Might.

"Um, All Might?"

"Yes, my boy?"

"I think I'm ready to listen now."

The hero smiled. After sending the other three students away for privacy's sake, mentor and pupil sat down for a long overdue discussion.

 _With Yellow…_

"You must be the best hide and seek player ever!"

Hagakure laughed.

"You're right! It's funny though, because despite seeing a floating set of clothes people will just walk on by like it's totally normal! I can never hide from my parents though. They're invisible too, so it's hard to pull a fast one on them."

"Both of your parent's are invisible? How did that happen? I guess invisibility quirks aren't extremely rare, but combining both of them must make—"

"Midoriya, dude, calm down." Kaminari said. "You're practically screaming."

The aspect's eyes widened comically. "Oh no, I'm so sorry! I just get excited. It's been such a long time since I've had people my own age to talk too I tend to get a bit carried away."

Mina frowned. "What's that mean, Midori? Was Bakugo your only friend in school?"

"Yep! And he was only friends with me for a couple years of childhood. After that no one wanted to hang out with me because I was deemed quirkless. Uraraka was my first friend since I was four."

Kaminari and Mina's gazes met, Hagakure making a sound of displeasure at the news.

"But it's fine!" Yellow continued brightly. "I met all of you guys, didn't I? You're all friends to me. I'm really blessed to have made such amazing friends!"

The three immediately returned the sediment, getting a little over the top as they promised to be friends forever while just about knocking his yellow-clad form over.

 _With Purple…_

"While we have some free time, may I ask you three questions concerning your quirks?"

Purple was met with hesitant nods, but after Iida answered a few questions Jiro couldn't help but ask what was on her mind.

"You really analyze everything, don't you?"

"Of course I do. I have over thirteen journals filled with notes on heroes, villains, and peoples' quirks in general."

Yaoyorozu was impressed. "That's remarkable. And you do this for fun?"

A bitter smile appeared on Purple's face.

"It's an enjoyable hobby of mine most of the time, but there was a time in my younger years I did it out of necessity."

"Necessity?" Iida repeated. "Why would you take notes on quirks if it wasn't something you wanted to do?"

"Being dubbed quirkless at the age of four hurts a child's self-esteem, Iida-kun. Because I did not have a quirk to train I spent my time studying quirks in order to have some sort of edge on nearly everyone else around me. It helped me avoid the wrath of many harmful quirks as well aided in my attempts to fight back against them. Taking notes on battle techniques along with quirk notes was also the only thing I could think about doing to help my chances at being a hero without a quirk to rely on. I could never get my body in superior shape until I had help from a coach before the entrance exam. What I could afford to build up was my intellect."

"Anyway," he continued, oblivious to the looks his classmates were exchanging, "about your quirks…"

 _With Gold…_

While Aizawa and Uraraka pursued White, Gold headed east with his group.

"We can try to capture him ourselves, but it might be best to drive him towards Aizawa-sensei," the aspect commented. "He wasn't holding back earlier. The punch that shattered his arm could have killed Kacchan had he decided to fight instead of flee."

"He did seem to harbor some dark feelings against Bakugo," Tokoyami said.

"Ribbit, that doesn't mean he still wouldn't try to hurt us. You saw how angry he was about heroes and people with quirks in general. We also have to keep in mind while this is Midoriya-kun he _isn't_ Midoriya-kun."

Shoji listened to Tsuyu before respectfully voicing his opinion.

"I don't think he will hurt us," he said as they ran around a particularly large outcrop. The rocky mountain area they were maneuvering through was getting denser as they continued. Pine trees littered the landscape, and from afar Shoji could hear a small stream to their right. "He is filled with anger. The world has been unjust to him, yet while he has moved passed that in order to be happy there was never any closure. He was right earlier when he said his feelings were valid."

Gold found his lips twisting into a frown.

"Feelings are always valid, but as much as he— _we_ needed saving back then we have learned that while there are countless heroes there still aren't enough to save everyone. Helping a bullied quirkless boy would have been a shot in the dark when there were others who needed saving more."

"Gold-kun, if I may?"

"Yes, Tsu-chan?"

She met his eyes as they slowed down near what appeared to be the leftovers of a staged mudslide.

"Everyone who needs help, everyone who needs saved, deserves it. Even if there are people in more dire situations across the world in need it's not a hero's job to ignore one person's plight in favor of another's. A hero helps save everyone in their reach. Had you been in my reach all those years ago, I would have been there for you, ribbit."

"As would I," Tokoyami agreed.

Shoji nodded as well. "Me too."

There was silence among the four as they continued on their route, the multi-limbed hero occasionally adjusting their route as the other teams closed in on their target. Finally, after a couple minutes, Gold let out a small chuckle.

 _I am so lucky to be classmates with these people,_ he thought to himself. _They are going to be great pro heroes one day. After all, they're already heroes to me._

 _With Red…_

"Would you two please stop fighting?" Sero begged as Red punched Bakugo in the face just before an explosion sent the aspect hurtling into a pine tree.

"Um, yeah." Ojiro added a bit more hesitantly. The glares both Bakugo and Red had been throwing the others were filled with rage. "We're on a mission. If Aizawa-sensei finds out you two couldn't cooperate, or if White gets away because neither of you is behaving, then—"

Two angry yells interrupted his statement.

" _Baka_ go started it!"

"Like hell I did, asshole!" The blond's yelling only increased in volume upon hearing the way his name was pronounced. "What did you just call me?!"

Ojiro and Sero could only sigh. With the amount of noise half of their duo was making along with the tape boundaries Sero was creating they hoped that between them and Gold's team the runaway aspect would be captured soon.

"What, all those explosions make you hard of hearing, _Baka_ go?"

"That's it you shitty nerd! I'll kill you!"

"I'd like to see you try. Those punk-ass grenades look like children's toys than actual weapons! And don't even get me started on those stupid pointless frills on your raccoon mask."

Hopefully Red survived that long.

 _With White…_

Aizawa ran fast, much faster than Uraraka could hope to keep up with without utilizing her quirk. As it were she maintained a decent speed by using her quirk and boots to jump over some of the wider stretches of barren ground. They kept up the pace until large pine trees began to dot the land, the ground beginning to slope as the terrain shifted to a mountain range.

"Stop."

At once Uraraka deactivated her quirk, a small squeak escaping her as she almost didn't stick her impromptu landing.

The teacher motioned for her to remain still as his eyes drifted over the area. After nearly a minute had passed he pointed forwards, whispering for her to join him.

"He's nearby."

"How can you tell?"

"I can hear Bakugo's explosions coming from far ahead, and I trust Shoji to have lured problem child's runaway personality trait to us rather than further away. Also," he adds with a hint of deadpan, "if you were paying attention you'd have noticed the footprints and occasional specks of blood I've been tracking this entire time."

Uraraka winced. She'd just assumed the underground hero was hoping they would stumble upon White.

"Oh…"

"Don't worry too much about it. We haven't reached that topic in class yet, but it would be beneficial to be observant of your surrounds. As it is, the footprints indicate he stopped using his quirk to jump just a short distance ago. He should be just up ahead if not somewhere nearby hiding. Be vigilant."

"Yes, sensei."

They didn't have to wait long.

Barely a couple minutes of sneaking around ended with a streak of white suddenly darting out from behind a towering pine. His body was lit up with crackling lightning as he called upon his quirk to get away, unfortunately for him though the moment Aizawa's tired eyes locked onto his form it was over. The white-clad figure tripped upon having his quirk forcefully taken away from him.

"Damn you!" He cursed, frustrated tears escaping his eyes as he stood back up shakily. His broken arm was being held against his chest by his good arm like a wounded animal. The snarl he released as his two pursuers closed in on him only strengthened the analogy. "Just leave me alone!"

"Deku-kun?" Uraraka tried, but that seemed to just make the aspect angrier.

"Don't call me that! Your Midoriya might be fine with the new meaning, but to me the insult still stands."

The girl frowned, mouth opening to apologize, but Aizawa spoke before she could.

"Midoriya, you're injured. Will you please come with us? I don't want you to harm yourself any further."

White scoffed. "Sure, Aizawa- _sensei_." His tone was dripping with loathing. "I'd gladly just hand myself over to you so you can put your Izuku back together again only to ignore this ever happened. _Or_ I could break your precious problem student by offing myself here and now."

"What?"

"I'd been planning on taking out Green Deku, your Midoriya's feelings of love. Killing what lets him care about others would have tipped the scales of his mind in my favor allowing me to turn Red, Purple, and Blue to my side and ultimately letting me come to the surface. Getting rid of myself isn't ideal, but without me the balance of his mind will be thrown out of whack entirely. He'd most likely slip into insanity without knowledge of all things bad in the world keeping him from being overwhelmed by the horrors taking place today."

Uraraka felt terror sink into her bones. She couldn't let that happen!

"De— _Izuku_ , please."

White shook his head slowly.

"No. You've always been too kind, too friendly. That's just how you are. You don't actually care about m—"

"Hey! Don't put words into my mouth, Izuku." Her fingers curled into fists that shook slightly. "I do care about you. You're my friend! You saved me despite not even knowing each other's names, and have been someone I look up to ever since. Do you really want to let everyone who put you down win?"

She took White by surprise it seemed, because the aspect looked skeptic.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean if you kill yourself here and leave Midoriya to break apart, then how will you prove the people who put you down wrong? You're already a hero. You can use those feelings of hatred and memories of the unjust way you were treated to better the world. You can be a hero who helps make sure someone else isn't treated harshly just because they're quirkless. You can be Deku, the hero who becomes the number one by doing his best."

It was quiet for a moment, and then:

"Do you… do you really think that?"

Uraraka smiled at him.

"Of course. I believe in you, Izuku-kun."

 _With Green…_

Mineta groaned impatiently.

"When is everyone going to be back? They've been gone for hours."

Aoyama ignored the short boy in favor of ogling his cape, but Sato answered.

"It's actually only been roughly half an hour. I'm guessing Aizawa-sensei and the others have already caught White by this point and are on their way back."

"Well I hope so! Watching over a passed out Midoriya is so boring when I could be watching the girls."

Sato rolled his eyes. He was about to say something along the lines of not talking about staring at their female classmates like he was bird-watching when the unconscious boy shifted.

"Oh look, he's waking up~" Aoyama sang joyously.

The green-haired aspect blinked rapidly, bright emerald eyes looking up at his friends' faces once he gained focus. Upon seeing the other's a huge grin enveloped the boy's face. The fond look in his eyes caught his caretakers off guard.

"Mineta-kun! Aoyama-kun! Sato-kun! Thank you for watching over me!"

"You're welcome," the purple-haired student responded shamelessly.

The aspect wasn't bothered. His attention fell on the other three groups of students and aspects nearby. He shouted hello to them, moments later becoming surrounded by said classmates and other parts of himself.

"Green, you're awake and okay!" Yellow shouted happily before hugging the other aspect close. "I was so worried White hurt you really badly."

Purple sighed.

"Yellow, Green was barely knocked out before Gold and Red dealt with White. We knew he was fine at the beginning. You were there."

"I know that, but can't you just let me be happy our friend is awake?"

"You're always happy. You're literally our feeling of happiness."

"Touché."

"Anyway," Purple turned to the newly conscious aspect, "would you like to introduce yourself? If my calculations are correct we should be as one within the next five minutes. You do not have long."

The green boy merely smiled, taking Yellow's and being pulled to his feet. He could see several forms in the distance making their way over to them.

Purple was right. None of the aspects had much longer.

"I am Green Deku," he began softly. "Since you haven't been informed yet, the best way to explain what part of your friend I am is his feelings of love. I care about everyone I meet. Good or bad I believe all people deserve empathy and forgiveness, and I am the one who drives us to help anyone who needs it. Even if they don't want it," he winked at Iida and Todoroki in succession. "It's nice to have met you all, even briefly."

Blue looked at the ground sadly, petting the bunnies in his arms one last time before handing them to Koda.

"Thank you all for watching out for me."

"Thank you all for being my friend," Yellow added.

"Likewise," Purple agreed.

Red and Gold waltzed up with more serious expressions on their faces, although Gold's could pass off as a smile. On the other hand Red looked like he'd been in a brawl.

"It seems it is time." Gold stated dutifully. "I apologize for the trouble we've caused today."

"I don't," Red said with crossed arms.

"Apologize, Red. I know you gave Kacchan that bruise on his jaw."

"So? He broke my nose."

"But you probably started it."

Red laughed. " _Totally_ worth it."

"Guys!" Yellow was suddenly yelling. "White is here! Let's get ready to _go_."

Sure enough Aizawa led a worse for wear looking aspect and solemn Uraraka to the group. White merely met Green's eyes for a second before turning away, distain clear on his face.

"I have nothing to say. Send me back."

The teachers and students didn't feel like they had any right to comment. This was something between Izuku's aspects and… himself, really.

Green suddenly stepped forward, walking past the students of class 1-A before gently taking White's unbroken hand in his own. The hateful aspect raised his head with a growl coming from his throat before Green's love-filled eyes subdued him.

"I'm glad you're part of us. We often forget that while you embody the less desirable traits in a person, you encompass perseverance too. Without you we wouldn't have even made it to where we stand today. Before we become one I just want to say thank you. It's almost symbolic, don't you think?" Green grinned. "It's almost like you're our own hero or something!"

The widening of White's eyes was the last thing that everyone saw before Yellow jumped forward excitedly.

"This is such a beautiful moment! I think it calls for a group—"

A bright light suddenly enveloped the seven aspects as their proximity suddenly became too close. Several students screamed in surprise.

And then just one Izuku was left standing in the midst of the students. The real Izuku.

"Hug?" He stated lamely, seemingly confused. His eyes traveled over the relieved faces of his classmates and teachers (although he could never tell with Aizawa and Hagakure). "Um, I mean, what just happened? One moment I was in the building with smoke and the next moment I was standing here. You're all looking at me strangely. Did something happen?"

Aizawa spun around. He began walking away without comment.

"H-hey, Aizawa!" All Might called after him worriedly. "Don't you think you should explain to Young Midoriya what just occurred?"

"After class he is your problem child, not mine. You deal with this."

Iida raised his hand despite the teacher not being able to see it. "But Aizawa-sensei class is still—"

 _"Class is dismissed."_

* * *

AN#2: Yes, I realize the Daydreaming arc is what everyone is pumped for, but I needed a change of pace before I got too burnt out on it. It's going to get really intense/feels-infused so I needed a break. It'll be finished eventually (I'm back to working on it now that I've finished this one-shot up), but between switching jobs IRL (I got my driver's license btw- so happy about that) and having less free time since I'm still working 60ish hours (not 40 like desired) my once a week update schedule may turn into two. I've also been sucked back into the Voltron fandom after a year of getting sucked into MHA so that's been fun lol. Anyway, this just means more time to work on chapters which will mean longer/better quality updates. The finale of the Daydreaming arc is going to definitely be the longest chapter yet. I hope this sates everyone until then!

~Love, blue~


	16. Izuku is daydreaming (5)

AN: Sixteenth chapter: final part of the daydreaming arc! I apologize for this taking so long to finally put up. Honestly I had half of this done 3 weeks ago, but I've been working so much (literally 8+ hours nearly every day) that the couple days I had off were ones I used to spend with family and such. College loans suck, I must say. I've also gotten into DM-ing for D&D so um... that's a thing lol. Anyway, I hope this resolution doesn't get me too many flaming reviews. This is how I figured this sort of situation would resolve itself regardless of how much people dislike Bakugo or want to protect the cinnamon roll. I really did try to keep an open mind and cover this from both sides though, even having my roommate who hates Bakugo beta this for me and grudgingly accept this as an okay ending. Anywho, read on! Love, blue~

* * *

 _Day 7 of Bakugo's suspension (Wednesday)_

Aizawa might have dry eyes, but he wasn't blind. Something had changed over the weekend with one of his problem students. It was subtle at first; however, it became apparent rather quickly that the green-haired boy was one-hundred percent done with his classmates' protective behaviors. He was also done avoiding Bakugo.

Izuku, for a lack of better terms, had drawn a line that no one would be stepping over again.

 _"Mina-chan, Kaminari-kun, excuse me. I just need to grab some cereal really quick."_

 _Kaminari winced, his eyes meeting Mina's for just a moment._

 _"Sorry dude, but I'd wait for a little—"_

 _"No thank you."_

 _"Midori," Mina stood in the doorway unmoving, "there's no reason to go in while that jerk is in there! We'll grab you something for breakfast ourselves."_

 _Izuku sighed. "Look, I get what you've all been trying to do, and the sentiment is sweet, but enough is enough. I'm going in the kitchen whether you like it or not. If I can't even grab myself my own breakfast without my friends coddling me like an abused puppy then how am I supposed to go about my days normally? You all might think you're helping but at this point it's just distracting me from my daily routine. And I can't focus on my hero studies properly knowing any one of you will stop anything at the drop of a hat to protect me from one of our own classmates."_

 _"But we…"_

 _"I'm not the same old Deku I was in the memories you saw," he assured. His eyes were pleading. "So please let me through. Also, tell everyone else I'll come to them if I need them. Please."_

 _The level of seriousness their commonly bright and happy classmate spoke with had the duo backing down. What was even more surprising was that when Izuku stepped into the kitchen, Bakugo's red eyes barely held the other's green-eyed gaze before turning back to the omelet he was preparing. Neither of them said a word._

 _Casually, as if it hadn't been nearly a week since they'd been in the same room with each other, Izuku poured himself a bowl of cereal. He made to join Koda, Jiro, and Tokoyami in the dining room, but found himself stopping in the doorway._

It's now or never, _he thought._

 _"…Bakugo."_

 _The blond's head whipped around so fast he could have gotten whiplash. What had Izuku called him? Such a word was foreign coming from him especially since "Kacchan" was the only name Izuku had ever used even after outgrowing his pronunciation problems from preschool._

 _"What did you just call me?"_

 _"Your name," Izuku said nonchalantly despite the way he was gripping the cereal bowl far too tightly. "Anyway, um, I noticed you haven't been spending much time with Kirishima-kun. I hope everything works itself out."_

 _With that he practically ran out of the kitchen, leaving a gaping Bakugo staring after him._

That was only Monday morning. To say his teacher was surprised to hear Izuku throwing around the word "Bakugo" just like he had "Kacchan" would be a correct statement. Honestly though Aizawa was baffled by the change. The self-destructive boy even in times of crisis as well as after the incident had never slipped out of using his friend's childhood nickname.

 _What happened?_ The underground hero asked himself as he watched Izuku head towards Hound Dog's office for his first session with the counselor. _And does this mean he's healing, or struggling even more?_

* * *

Izuku wasn't sure how he felt.

Part of him was glad he'd finally discovered the confidence to tell others what he wanted. After conversing with Uraraka, Iida, and Todoroki on Sunday he had gained their support (along with Tsuyu's, Yaoyorozu's, Tokoyami's, and Kirishima's) to put an end to the overprotective antics of his classmates. It was starting to suffocate him. Thankfully they understood, most of them pleased to know Izuku was feeling energized enough to stick up for himself.

Calling Bakugo by something other than his nickname? That had been much harder.

"You've known him since beforrre you can rrremember, is that rrright?" Hound Dog asked with his gravelly voice. It sounded like he was growling lowly every time he spoke.

"Yes, sensei."

"That would complicate things. A connection formed with someone overrr such a long period of time along with high moments of emotion likely intertwined the two of you together, grr."

Izuku nodded sadly. "It feels exactly like that, yet everyone thinks I can just cut myself off from him like ripping off a band-aid. Even though I finally realize how poorly he treated me, even though I have some feelings of anger towards him, part of me wants us to just be friends again. I want to clear up everything and fix things between us. I thought that maybe calling him Bakugo would show him I'm serious about this. It would give us a chance to start over. Maybe one day we could be proper rivals. Maybe one day we could actually acknowledge each other as friends."

Hound Dog was silent for a moment, and then:

"Midorrriya, have you forgiven Bakugo?"

The greenette turned his gaze to the floor.

"I… not verbally, no, but even though I'm angry with him I can't help it. Is that wrong? Does that make me stupid? He hurt me, he tried to crush my dream, and he tried to take my dream away from me. Even after all that I can't help but want it in my heart to forgive him. Does feeling like this make me weak?"

His voice wobbled as he continued, emotion seeping into his tone. A couple stray tears shed from his eyes when he felt a heavy hand rest on top of his head. To his shock Hound Dog unclasped the muzzle that adorned his face, and a few seconds later the teacher came out from behind his desk and kneeled, lowering his large canine head so that is was just next to Izuku's hip.

"If it makes you feel betterrr you're welcome to pet me." He growled gently. "Part of my quirk, Dog, sends my senses haywirrre if someone nearby is in distress. Especially one of my students."

"Are you—?"

"Positive, kid. Students do it all the time. Heck, even Prrresent Mic and Cementoss do every now and then."

Without another word, Izuku found himself clutching the fur on Hound Dog's neck carefully. The hero often got bashed by the public and hero community alike for having such a scary wolf-like face, the muzzle he wore with his hero attire not exactly helping the talk, and many had trouble understanding what he said due to the growls that accompanied his speech. Those traits had nothing on the gentleness of the hero. After speaking openly and honestly to him Izuku practically swept the teacher up in a hug. His freckled face was against fur as he slipped from the chair and kneeled on the floor next to the counselor.

"Sensei," he forced out after taking a shuddering breath, "is forgiving him the right thing to do?"

The reply was quiet as to not offset the solemn calm that had settled in the room.

"Boy, you have much to learn about forgiveness. There is nothing rrright or wrrrong about it. Forgiving someone is completely different than rrreconciling with them."

"But won't it be like sweeping everything under the rug? Some of my classmates think me forgiving him would be like giving K— Bakugo a free pass or something. I don't want him to think that either. I just…"

"Midoriya," Hound Dog interjected once Izuku had trailed off. "Forgiveness is about you, not anyone else. To be frrrank what others think doesn't matter. Forgiving someone neither means you're forgetting what happened nor saying what Bakugo did wasn't wrong; he was crrruel to you. Are you going to forget that anytime soon?"

"Of course not," he argued half-heartedly. He was so tired but it was obvious the memories wouldn't fade.

"Exactly. It's about healing. Your healing, more specifically, and your own personal peace of mind. If you wish to forrrgive him, then that is up to you and only you. Do what you wish. It can be done at any time too though, so please don't feel pressured. That's the last thing you need."

Izuku sighed shakily. "I'm not feeling pressured, it's just something I need to get off my chest before I can move forward. Part of me also feels like deep down it's something Bakugo needs to hear too if he's ever going to figure his own issues out as well. I know I forgave him back in the principal's office last week, but before all if this is over we really need to talk." A bitter smile slipped onto his face at the thought. "Gosh, we've known each other for the longest time but we've never really talked things out. He always starts screaming, and then I get worked up too, and, well, I'm getting off topic."

Hound Dog shrugged.

"Happens all the time. Feel free to vent, kid; everyone needs to do it every now and then."

He smiled gratefully. "Thank you, but I think I've ranted enough to my friends and All Might. Our session is almost over anyway, isn't it?"

"Perhaps. We can always schedule another one before next Wednesday if you'd like, grr."

"Oh, that won't be necessary. I do have a question though."

"Go on."

"I haven't really been able to tell, but do you know how Bakugo's sessions with Aizawa-sensei are going?

"That's confidential, kid."

Izuku had the decency to look sheepish. "O-oh, that makes sense! Sorry for asking."

"No need to apologize. Anyway, I'll see you next week. Feel frrree to stop by anytime if you want to talk before then though, okay? My schedule is pretty flexible. It'd be no trrrouble at all."

"Thank you, sensei." The smile reached his eyes, making Hound Dog's instincts prickle in approval. It made him proud to lift his students' sorrows.

 _Day 8 of Bakugo's suspension (Thursday)_

Speaking of sorrows…

"To work through your anger we must identify what it is that makes you react with such intense negative feelings."

Bakugo was not in the mood to deal with Aizawa today. Between Mina, Kaminari, Sero, and Tsuyu of all people getting in the way of him talking to Kirishima for the past several days, not to mention Izuku having the gal to call him by his surname rather than the usual childhood nickname, you could say the explosive blond was one wrong look from blowing up.

Figuratively and literally.

"So," the teacher drawled while tapping a pen against his notepad purposefully, "what would you like to talk about first?"

"I wouldn't _like_ to talk about anything."

"Poor wording aside this session won't end without any progress being made. I'm aware suspension has given you more time for homework and training, but I still don't believe you want to waste your valuable time by sitting here."

The blond's red eyes flashed with annoyance. Aizawa was right.

"These shitty so-called anger management sessions," he finally ground out after a long bout of silence.

"Oh?"

"They're trash," Bakugo cursed. "The more I go to them the more pissed off I feel. Nothing is changing."

"Do you expect change to be swift? Sometimes genuine change can take weeks, months, years, or even decades. Impatience will only delay things."

"I don't have time to be patient." He hissed, standing up and slamming his hands down on the desk before him. If Aizawa hadn't activated Erasure there would have surely burn scorch marks. "All because of that stupid knock-off projector's quirk, and everyone finding out about Deku's crappy childhood, the only idiot I can put up with has been avoiding me like the plague!"

Aizawa nodded knowingly. "Sit back down, Bakugo. I'm well aware of Kirishima and your lack of interaction with one another. It is easy to notice and I'm not exactly surprised. He's a sensitive boy despite his brazen personality. I imagine he is disappointed in your past behavior as well as your unwillingness to mend the situation. Does that sound about right?"

The blond clenched his fists, his lip curling in a barely suppressed snarl as he forced himself to sit back down. Somehow he was able to stay quiet though and the teacher took pity on him.

"Bakugo, while your tenacity is usually a good thing in this case part of me is worried you are rushing in headfirst without thinking things through properly. You're angry. You're hurt. You're sad."

"Like hell I—"

"Don't lie to me. You're frustrated at the entire situation and desperately want things to go back to normal. Do you think you can just say sorry to Kirishima in order to fix things? If you talked to Kirishima right now what would happen?"

The boy closed his mouth. He knew he couldn't just try to make up with the redhead. Not without apologizing to Izuku, that is.

"You feel a sense of loss and anger because of him distancing you," Aizawa continued. "He most likely feels he must pull away because you caused someone else, someone who is also his friend, to suffer. He's probably upset you won't own up to your actions 'like a man' as he calls it. Perhaps instead of trying to run around the problem and just cause yourselves both more grief you should take the initiative to solve the problem at its core. Make amends with Midoriya, Bakugo. Or at least think long and hard about it. Nothing is going to change until you can realize—"

"It's not that simple!"

 _I should have brought the earplugs I use around Hizashi,_ Aizawa thought to himself as the boy before him blew up.

"I've known that nerd since I could first remember. He would forgive a villain for hurting him if he thought they were sincerely guilty. If I were to walk up to him right now and give him some fluffy apology he would forgive me in an instant, but that would change nothing! It would be utterly worthless! I'd still get mad every time I look at him and Kirishima would still think I'm nothing more than a bully. Nothing is going to actually change no matter how hard I try. Sooner or later word will get out about my past behavior and it will be like Kamino all over again."

"Hold on. Kamino?"

Bakugo scowled harder, the anger in his voice filled with misguided hatred.

"Don't play dumb. Remember that speech you made when I was kidnapped by the League of Losers? Barely anyone believed you about me. The media thought that being kidnapped was all it would have taken to make the savage kid from the U.A. sports festival to switch sides. Do you have any idea what it feels like to realize the world is against you before you even have a chance to defend yourself? Against ignorant strangers?"

"I know exactly how it feels, Bakugo. Many pros go through the same treatment."

"Sure, but most pros don't have to deal with the added weight of being the reason their Symbol of Peace is out of commission."

Aizawa stopped himself from reacting outwardly. Barely.

 _I knew it. All Might warned me he would blame himself, but for him to actually say it… He's been keeping this bottled up for some time, hasn't he?_

Before the teacher could say anything though, Bakugo resumed his triad.

"And now people will forever associate me with All Might's retirement. _His downfall_ , people are calling it _._ I caused that." At the hint of shock in Aizawa's gaze Bakugo scoffed. "You can't tell me you didn't already know? Hell, plenty of people blamed me for it the day it happened. It was all over the news, radio, and newspapers for weeks afterwards."

 _I wasn't aware of this,_ the teacher kicked himself over the news. _I'm so against the media as a whole I barely took a look at anything not concerning All Might's decision to stay at U.A. as a teacher. How could we have missed something so ugly being thrown at one of our students?_

"It's my fault anyway, isn't it? They're all right. Because I was too weak to stop myself from getting kidnapped."

"It's just like the sludge incident all over again," he explained brokenly. His head turned from side to side as he spat out the words on his mind, red eyes hidden from view due to his bowed head. "All because of that stupid attack the media has been on my ass viewing me as a victim since before I was even admitted into U.A. I'm sure they were thrilled to hear the report months later that I was one of the people All Might rescued during the USJ attack. I was listed as a damsel in distress again; those vultures eat that shit up."

"And at the sports festival, the media flipped from viewing me as an unfortunate victim to an unhinged delinquent. I got chained up on live television!"

Aizawa winced internally. He remembered principal Nedzu deciding to put quirk suppressing handcuffs on Bakugo after he'd been knocked out by Midnight's quirk. He'd stopped listening after that. It wasn't until he heard Yamada laughing like a hyena that he'd noticed Bakugo had been muzzled and attached to a cement block for all of Japan, no— the entire world to see. Honestly he'd been pissed to see his student treated that way especially because despite how unnecessarily aggressive the boy was being his feelings were valid.

Bakugo had been livid after his fight with Todoroki. In his perspective it was all a matter of respect. Todoroki hadn't given him what Bakugo felt like was appropriate respect for a competitor, because without fighting at his full strength the win didn't come fairly. Sure he won, but did it really count as a win when his opponent wasn't really trying? Did it count when his opponent was too caught up in his personal troubles to provide a fair fight?

It would have felt like a meaningless victory, the medal but a plastic participation ribbon.

"Did no one stop to think how the media would view that as? They freaking talked about me for weeks like I was a rabid dog, making crazy assumptions about my parents too while they were at it. Talk shows bet I'd be kicked out for violent behavior before the end of the first semester. So many people thought I looked like a villain out there, including the stupid hand-covered ass-wipe acting as the leader of the League of Villains." He took a quick breather as if attempting to calm down, but his hands were still beginning to shake. "Y'know, Auntie Inko was appalled seeing be muzzled like an animal. My own mother? She passed it off as attitude adjustment. If my own mother thinks being chained up or kidnapped is what I need to become a better, stronger person, then what am I supposed to do?"

"I'll never be 'good' like Deku. I'll never be 'strong' like All Might. I'll never be 'likable' like Kirishima. I'll never be _enough_ for anyone. Not even myself."

"So I can't change," he finished determinedly. His voice was becoming raw from going to screaming to talking with so much emotion. "No matter how much I try not only will the entire world be against me but so will everyone who knows the truth about how shitty of a person I am. None of them will ever see me in another way ever again. Even if I try to become a better person it won't mean shit because I can't take back any of the things I did. Deku can forgive me and Kirishima can pretend to give me another chance but in the end I'll still be treated as the jerk who told a classmate to kill himself. A bully who beat up the nicest kid in school and ruined his childhood. I don't want forgiveness, sensei. Not if I know I don't fucking deserve it."

Silence settled upon the room. Aizawa could only stare at Bakugo's now slumping form, the boy's hands curling into his own spiky hair as if ripping it out would stop the whirlwind of thoughts going through his head.

"Bakugo."

The only sign he was listening was the slight hunching of his shoulders.

He sighed.

"Bakugo, I'm going to tell you a story from my first year at U.A."

 _Still no reaction,_ he noted.

Aizawa went on anyway.

"There was once a boy who had failed the exam to get into the hero course. Like many others he had known his quirk wasn't flashy or suited for combat against robots, and despite rescuing a few competitors the amount of rescue points he'd acquired wasn't enough to pull ahead of those with more offensive or destructive quirks. He was put into the general studies course, as he'd applied there as a backup plan, but he was bitter. He wanted to be a hero. On a whim he scouted the students who had been accepted into the hero course to see what kind of people he'd been up against."

"Do you know what he saw? Instead of seeing a class full of the next generation of aspiring heroes he saw a class of ambitionless teenagers with powerful quirks. In particular one kid stood out, some obnoxious kid who couldn't throw a punch to save his life enjoying his time in the hero course like it was the easiest, most fun class ever. He didn't seem to take anything seriously. Imagine that. This cockatoo-haired moron beat me at getting into the hero course."

At that Bakugo titled his head up slightly. Now he was at least a little bit interested in the story.

"I resented the kid. He made me mad with how carelessly he treated being in the top hero course in the country. Because I was so filled with bitterness and resentment though, I made a rookie mistake. When we were in the second stage of our first year sports festival I decided to do something to teach him a lesson. I used my quirk to deactivate his own quirk during combat. It wasn't against the rules, mind you, yet what happened afterwards reminded me how easy it is to hurt others with your quirk. How easy it is to let negative feelings needlessly hurt others around you."

"Because I had cancelled out his quirk, he was injured. Badly."

"Does that sound like an action of a future hero? Hurting others needlessly to make yourself feel better, or to getting revenge on those who had nothing to do with your own misfortune? The moment the boy went down I immediately knew why I wasn't good enough to get into the hero course yet. My heart wasn't ready."

"I realized I hadn't been fighting as a hero to be, but as a petty teenager who was mad at the world for not recognizing my potential. I almost dropped out of the competition before the final battle tournament; however, the idiot I indirectly harmed talked me out of it."

 _"It's my fault you were hurt so badly," a young Aizawa admitted. Before him the figure on the hospital bed listened with obvious confusion as he recounted what had happened in the stadium. "I was bitter and foolish. I can only hope my apology and intention to drop out of the final event will be enough for you to forgive my selfish actions."_

 _He'd been about to walk out of there when all of a sudden an amplified voice nearly made him jump out of his skin._

 _"HEEYYYY! No hard feelings, pal! I forgive you!"_

 _Aizawa blinked. "Really? Just like that?"_

 _"Of course, man! You seem genuinely sorry. And hey, if I were you I wouldn't give up my spot in the bracket. You're from general studies, right? You're the only one not from the hero course to make it into the finals. To give up your spot now would be an insult to your entire course, man."_

 _"But you're hurt because of me." The broken ribs, concussion, internal bleeding, and shattered arm were besides the cuts and bruises. "How can you justify me participating further when I don't act like a student deserving to be in the hero course in the first place?"_

 _The blond rolled his eyes. "I'm not saying what you did was cool, man, because it wasn't. I'm saying that you should keep competing because if you are strong enough to make it to the top, then when we become classmates we can work towards becoming heroes together. It was just one slip in judgment. Right, Aizawa-kun? There's no need to kick yourself too harshly for one mistake. Believe me, I make mistakes every day and somehow I haven't been kicked out of the hero course yet!"_

"I ended up winning that tournament." Aizawa finished. "I transferred into the hero course shortly after, and that idiot became someone I would regard as a lifelong friend. He was even the one that gave me my hero name. However, had I chosen not to participate things might have turned out differently. Do you understand what I'm getting at here?"

Bakugo remained quiet for quite some time. Finally, he let out a long exhale of air.

"I guess that story was your way of telling me even future heroes screw up."

"That's partially correct."

The blond looked away. "What you did was an accident though. You didn't know he would end up getting really hurt."

Aizawa shook his head. "I knew my actions would end with him being hurt in some way, which is wrong regardless if he only wound up with a scrape or a broken neck."

"Whatever," the younger waved off. "I get what you're saying, but the difference is I did that kind of shitty thing nearly every day growing up. Isn't it too late for redemption?"

"Bakugo, why didn't you join the League of Villains?"

He froze for a moment, almost looking like he was going to be sick. It was only after a couple more seconds that his eyes shifted from being wide with surprise to narrowed in frustration. The question had thrown in off guard slightly. What did that have to do with anything?

"Because I want to win like All Might. I want to be the number one hero, one even better than All Might because I'll never lose. I can't do that by joining a band of murderers and psychopaths."

"I see." Suddenly he was standing up, a look in his eyes Bakugo couldn't quite decipher. "Well, it looks like our session is over."

"What the hell are you talking about? We've got at least ten more minutes!"

"Are you saying you'd like to stay and discuss your feelings?"

Bakugo clenched his fists. "No, but you didn't—"

"That's what I thought." He cut off dismissively. "Now off with you; I have a few things to attend to before lunch period ends."

Muttering under his breath, the angry teenager stomped towards the door; however, just as he reached it Aizawa said his name. Begrudgingly, Bakugo gave a short response.

"What?"

"Your question about redemption. Perhaps you should ask someone whose opinion you trust more, because if it were up to me I would say your potential for change is far higher than you give yourself credit for."

"…Thanks."

* * *

"Hello?"

"Hello, Auntie."

A short moment of silence passed before a noise of realization passed through the phone from the elder Midoriya's lips.

"Oh! Katsuki? Is that really you?"

"Yeah. This is my cell, but I guess you wouldn't know what my number is."

There was a small laugh on the other line.

"No, I'm afraid I only have your mother's home phone and cell number. Never mind that though. Is something the matter?"

"I… yeah."

When he didn't elaborate, he heard a soft sigh from the other line.

"Katsuki."

"Yes, Auntie?"

"Can you please tell me what's going on in that head of yours? You're worse that Izuku when it comes to bottling up your thoughts and feelings. Talking will make you feel better, I promise."

A moment of silence, and then:

"Do you think I can still be a hero?"

"Dear, what do you mean?" Inko seemed confused. "The school agreed to lift suspension once you—"

"That's not what I'm asking. I get that apologizing to De—Izuku would allow me to go back to class, but what I want to know is if you truly believe if I can be a hero after what I did to him."

"Of course you can."

Bakugo seemed to choke at her immediate response.

"W-what?"

"I said of course you can be a hero, Katsuki. While I haven't completely forgiven you for the pain you put my son through, I do know you're also a boy who is still learning. Both you and Izuku are too young for me to allow either of you to give up on your dreams because of past mistakes or wavering confidence."

"But I was an asshole," Bakugo argued, his voice sounding strained and watery. Was he on the verge of crying? "I still am."

"You're Mitsuki's son, yes, but that doesn't mean you can't change for the better. Do you truly believe someone who has done bad things should be condemned as a bad person? Forever? Sweetie, I was young once too. While I didn't act like you or your… 'firecracker' of a mother, we did get into trouble every now and then. I had my fair share of drama too. Anyway, what I'm getting at is I would never bar you from making personal improvements. I won't forget what you did, but I won't give up on you either. I believe that once this is all over things will be different between you and Izuku. Won't they?"

"I don't know."

"Yes you do," Inko pushed gently. "That school is helping both of you grow and mature for the better. I was hesitant recently, but something keeps telling me you're in good hands. Have you made any progress talking to Izuku?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I haven't been able to figure out what to say to him. Just thinking about it makes me angry."

"Anger isn't going to solve anything."

"I know that!" He snapped. "I mean— damn it, I'm sorry for yelling. I just… do you know he called me Bakugo the other day?"

"Really? Not 'Kacchan' like he's been calling you since preschool?"

"Yeah."

"Hmm, he must really be growing up then."

Bakugo felt a pang in his chest at that, but he squashed that feeling quickly.

"I think maybe this situation just calls for you to talk to him without going through anything rehearsed," she continued. "You've only been able to express your truest feelings to him from what I can guess. If you just try to talk to him without letting your anger rule you, then I believe you'll both find the solution to your problems."

"Thanks for the advice, Auntie. I'll give it a try."

"You're welcome, Katsuki. Oh, and one last thing; if you hurt my baby again I'll be having a word with you. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Auntie…"

He would never admit it, but getting threatened by Inko was so much worse than any other alternative.

 _Day 10 of Bakugo's suspension (Saturday)_

 _"Hey, Izuku."_

 _The greenette froze mid-step. After slowly putting his foot down, Izuku turned to look at Bakugo with wide eyes. From where the blond stood in the doorway of the kitchen, preventing anyone else from walking in, it seemed like he was trying his best to act as non-threatening as possible._

 _"Tonight after curfew meet me outside the dorm. We need to talk."_

 _"H-hold on," Izuku scrambled to say as the other made to leave. "Why can't we talk in one of our rooms?"_

 _Bakugo pinched the bridge of his nose like he was dealing with a child who was asking too many questions, or maybe a question he didn't know the answer to._

 _"Just tru— Because as much as I wish I could hold a conversation with you at a level volume your face pisses me off so much I don't trust myself not to start yelling." He quickly recovered from what he was about to say. "You don't want Sparkles, Goth Boy, and the pervert to wake up, would you?"_

 _"Well, no, but if we're going to be leaving the dorm after curfew we might both get in trouble. If you start yelling the security robots will pick us up on their sensors. You're already on thin ice as it is, so if that happens you might be…"_

 _The word "expelled" went unspoken._

 _"I know, alright? Just… be outside when I told you."_

 _With that the blond retreated from the room, leaving Izuku to watch his back as he left._

"Deku-kun, if that's what happened then I don't think you should go." Uraraka pressed.

Iida nodded in agreement. "Not only would you be breaking the rules, but I don't trust Bakugo not to let his anger get the better of him. I will not be able to live with myself if I allowed you to go only for him to harm you."

Izuku sighed. "You're both right. I'll have to convince him tomorrow that if he wants to talk to me we have to do it my way."

"Excellent," the class president said, a proud smile on his face. "Now that we're done here I suggest we all go to bed. We have an early morning study session to prepare for the math test Monday."

"Ugh, but Iida-kun it's Saturday! Sunday mornings are meant to be slept away!" Uraraka bemoaned.

"I'm sorry, but it had been decided that nine o'clock…"

After a couple minutes of banter, Iida left to settle in for the night. Izuku was about to do the same when a slender hand grabbed his own crooked one. When he turned around his green eyes met soft brown.

 _So close!_ His mind shouted as he blushed.

A similar pink crept onto Uraraka's face as she looked from her hand in his to the nervous look on his face. With an awkward laugh she let go of his hand and waved her own around frantically.

"S-sorry about that! I just wanted to get your attention before you rushed upstairs." She looked away momentarily before biting her lip. "I, um, wanted to stop you because, well, I have a feeling you're going to talk to Bakugo tonight anyway. You just gave up quickly in order to put Iida-kun's mind at ease, didn't you?"

"Yeah," Izuku admitted without a fight. He had a feeling Uraraka would have guessed his plan. "I know you don't want me to, but I think Bakugo really does want to talk this time. He called me _Izuku_. He hasn't called me anything close to that since before preschool. I want to give him this chance, Uraraka-chan."

The brunette frowned, but nodded understandingly. "I guess I won't stop you. I trust you to stand up for yourself from now on; however, if he hurts you again I won't be upset when he gets expelled."

Izuku let out a relieved breath, a smile lighting up his face as he flashed a grateful look to his friend.

"Thank you. You don't know this, but despite Bakugo and I knowing each other for the longest time we've never really talked things out. I think if it goes well tonight it will have been long overdue."

Uraraka smiled softly. Then, without warning, she pulled the boy before her into a spine-cracking hug.

"Good luck out there, Deku-kun."

"Th-thanks!" He practically shrieked with a red face. "Now, um, can you let go of me please?"

* * *

By the time he snuck outside Bakugo had been waiting for nearly fifteen minutes.

"Took you long enough," the spiky-haired teenager grumbled before pushing himself away from the front of the building he'd been leaning against. "Follow me."

Izuku tilted his head, confused. "Follow you? To where?"

Rolling his eyes, Bakugo refused to answer and instead gestured for the other boy to come along. Izuku responded with an exasperated eye roll of his own, but of course Bakugo was facing the opposite direction and didn't see it. Nevertheless, Izuku followed him. They couldn't be going too far, could they?

Several minutes later they were walking into a building within Ground Beta. The building looked familiar to Izuku, yet it was only after seeing the scorch marks and broken rock that it clicked. Entering a room with the ceilings above it blown out only confirmed it further.

"This is where we fought back in the beginning of the school year." Izuku stated.

Bakugo looked upwards to the broken concrete. His features were lax, his aura somber as he looked around the room. It was only after a long pause that he went from inspecting the room in thought to facing Izuku once more.

"I come here a lot to train," he began. "This is the place where I lost to you for the first time fair and square. It drives me to work harder so that it never happens again. However, I also come here to think."

Izuku watched as the blond began to slowly walk towards the broken window where he'd stood his ground during the hero vs. villain fight.

"Do you remember when you first wanted to be a hero?"

The question would have caught him off guard if he didn't remember the answer to it as vividly as if it were just yesterday.

"Of course I do," the greenette replied. "It was after watching All Might's debut video. We were four. Don't you remember?"

"Of course I do. You wouldn't stop ranting about 'All Might' this and 'All Might' that for days, saying you wanted to make people smile and feel safe just like him. I remember watching the news with you just to see what the hell the big deal was about the guy. How amazing could one hero be that you suddenly wanted to become a hero so badly? He was amazing, sure, but what pissed me off about the whole situation was that even after you were diagnosed quirkless he still captivated you so much that you decided you could be a hero regardless. No one else's opinion mattered anymore. Some guy you watched through a television screen mattered more to you than me."

The greenette frowned. "Bakugo, I don't think you—"

"Shut up, Izuku. _I_ was your whole fucking world, and my four year-old self liked it so much that when _he_ became your idol it all just... fell apart."

Bakugo hung his head.

Izuku's jaw dropped.

Neither of them spoke for several seconds. Until:

"I hated listening to you rant about becoming a goddamn hero. You wanted to do it for all the right reasons, while I just wanted the glory. The day you came back to school diagnosed quirkless was the day I felt relieved, because I knew you would finally give up."

"But you didn't," he growled.

"You told everyone you would be like All Might regardless if you had a quirk or not. It pissed me off so much," he raised his voice slightly, yet managed to keep his anger in check. "You wouldn't just leave being a hero to those with strong quirks like me. Even after I announced I would be the strongest hero, the next number one hero, you didn't care. You just kept dreaming on day after day despite every beat down."

Bakugo turned around to meet Izuku's wide emerald eyes with his own ruby ones. His mouth was set in a thin line as he prepared his next words carefully.

"Your passion… it scared me." He admitted quickly. "Not that I cared about what happened to you or anything. No, you had something I didn't. You _have_ something I don't. You care about people and would be willing to do anything for anyone at the expense of your life. Even bastards who don't deserve your kindness, you'd protect and save them just like anyone else. I can't guarantee I'd do the same. It's no wonder All Might saw something in you."

Izuku's heart pounded.

"What do you mean?"

The blond made a noise of disbelief, locking eyes with Izuku's meaningfully. "I'm not going to risk anything by saying it here, and I expect some sort of story later, but I know you've got All Might in your corner. It's obvious to anyone who sees you two together. Neither of you dumbasses is good at sneaking around, by the way. If you want to keep it a secret that you're obviously his successor, then I'd be a bit more subtle."

"But that's not the reason you brought me out here," Izuku countered. He wanted to change the topic as fast as possible. It seemed like Bakugo understood how important the relationship between All Might and him was, but he would rather be safe than sorry.

"That's right." He looked outside to the dark cityscape. After a long breath, he turned to Izuku once more. At his sides his fingers curled into his palms almost painfully. "I came out here to ask you something."

"What is it?"

His teeth clenched, but he didn't speak.

Izuku tried again. "Bakugo?"

"Shut up, nerd. I'll speak when I'm good and ready." A pause, and then: "Do you think I can be a hero?"

Izuku couldn't believe his ears. Of all the questions he could have asked, he chose that one.

 _Fate must have a sense of humor,_ he thought.

"I… what?"

"You heard me. After everything I've done to you, after ultimately ending All Might's career, do you feel like I—"

"You didn't end All Might's career!" The greenette immediately defended. "He… he would have retired soon anyway."

"I won't ask you how you know that, but that excuse doesn't cut it. I was still rescued by him because I was too weak to prevent myself from getting kidnapped in the first place."

"And I was too weak to save you. Because I overused my quirk and hurt my arms, I wasn't able to grab you in time. I could have prevented it too."

"I never asked for you to try to save me!"

"It doesn't matter if you wanted to be saved or not!" Izuku countered, taking a few steps closer to where Bakugo stood a couple yards away. "Part of being a hero is meddling when you don't need to!"

"Ugh, this is why I hate you! You butt your head into other peoples' business. Do you even realize what would have happened if you'd reached that warp gate? With the state you were in Shigaraki would have _killed_ you."

Izuku faltered.

"You don't know that," he argued halfheartedly.

"Yes I do. He would have killed you, or his master would have made you wish you were dead."

"But you're avoiding my question." Bakugo took a few steps toward Izuku. They were only a couple of feet apart now. "I need to know if you believe I can be a hero after all I've done. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. I need to hear it from you. All the times I told you that you could never be a hero; this is your chance to make me eat my words. I'll go to Nedzu myself and tell him to just kick me out."

"What? But you've worked so hard to be here! All those hours of practice and studying; you can't just—"

"If you of all people don't think I can be a hero, then there's no point in continuing here any longer."

Part of Izuku felt touched, like his opinion actually mattered to Bakugo, but another part of him just felt frustration at the blond's words.

"You're being an idiot." The greenette said angrily. "Where would I be if I listened to the opinions of people around me? Not here, that's for sure. You can't seriously think my opinion of you is the deciding factor at whether or not you have the potential to be a hero. It's almost sounds like—"

Izuku suddenly felt a flash of déjà vu.

 _"I need to know. Is it possible to become a hero without a quirk? Could I ever hope to be someone like you?"_

It was like being on that rooftop all over again. Izuku could be cruel and tell Bakugo no, leaving him to feel like Izuku did when All Might told him to dream smaller. Or he could tell him what he truly felt.

He took a deep breath.

The choice was obvious.

"Kacchan." Bakugo's eyes widened at the return of his nickname, but he didn't have a chance to speak before Izuku continued. "You said earlier you were upset when I started looking up to All Might instead of you. What I don't think you understand is that while I looked to him for inspiration, I was always looking at you too. His light was always there to guide me, but yours? Your sheer amazingness was absolutely blinding! Even when you treated me cruelly, I never turned away from you. To me you were already a hero long before we went to U.A."

"I never meant to outrun you once we got here either. I needed to catch up since I started training my quirk a lot later than you. I'd spent our entire childhood running behind you, and now I'm finally catching up. But I don't want to grow stronger without you, Kacchan. My entire life you've helped me become stronger regardless if it was done through less desirable means. How could I possibly continue here without you being here as well?"

Izuku walked forwards until he was close enough to stretch his hand out to his rival.

"You can still be a hero, Kacchan. We can grow stronger together here at U.A. And even if we're not friends, maybe we can be rivals?"

Bakugo glanced at the outstretched hand with red eyes full of fire.

"Also," Izuku continued wryly, "you can start calling me Deku again. It's honestly weird hearing you call me Izuku, and, well, Deku _is_ the name of a hero."

"… _Fine_."

A hand clasped Izuku's, and soon after that:

 _"I'm sorry, Deku."_

Izuku closed his eyes even as his face split into a smile. He knew he'd made the right decision.

"Thank you for the apology, Kacchan. I forgive you."

From the shadows neither of them would know Aizawa had witnessed the entire exchange until much later. It wouldn't stop either of them from attending weekly counseling sessions for the remainder of the year, but it would allow them to move forward.

* * *

 _Epilogue_

Attending class again was rough for Bakugo. He took the silent treatments and sour looks in stride, because he knew he deserved it. It helped that somehow Izuku had convinced Iida and Uraraka to act normally around him as possible. Izuku was surprisingly considerate as well, giving Bakugo his space but also offering him a couple words of encouragement here and there.

And then lunch period rolled around.

 _Where the hell should I sit?_ He thought to himself sullenly. _I'd usually sit with Kirishima and the other morons, but there's no way in hell they'd let me sit with them. Pinky is still glaring daggers at me and Sparky won't look me in the eye. Kirishima still hasn't said a word to me. He's still probably upset even though I apologized to Deku like he wanted. I guess I could sit near Deku's nerd herd, but I don't want to push it. Maybe it'd just be easier to find an empty table._

"Hey, Bakugo!"

Said blond couldn't believe his ears.

"Kirishima?"

He whipped his head around, and the familiar redhead could be seen waving from their usual table. Beside him was an empty spot across from Sero, Kaminari, and Mina.

"Yeah, dude! Been out of class so long that you forgot where you usually eat? Get over here man!"

Bakugo wasted a second wondering if he was going crazy, but the hopeful look on Kirishima's face made him realize he'd been wrong in his prior thinking. It didn't seem like his friend was upset with him any longer.

 _I'll telling you, he'll forgive you._ Izuku's voice rang in his mind.

As he made to sit next to Kirishima, Bakugo brushed off the thought that he was actually happy to be wrong. Likewise, no one mentioned the small smile that graced the blond's face when Kirishima threw a friendly arm around him.

Perhaps things could change after all.


	17. Izuku is a girl?

AN: Seventeen chapter: fem!Izuku~ Honestly I've just been not feeling like writing in my free time lately (I did finish Attack on Titan Season 3, Lost Song, The Dragon Prince, and a couple other shows though). I went with genderbent Deku on a whim mainly because I was looking at the list of recommendations and that one was pretty high up there. This is really just a quick Mirio as a big brother figure for Izuku drabble, nothing substantial.

* * *

Izuku cursed his own bad luck. How was he supposed to face his classmates like this?

"Just go on in," Mirio encouraged from where they both stood outside the door to their class. The final class of the day, Foundational Hero Studies, had just begun. Within a couple minutes the class would be making their way to the locker rooms to get into their hero gear. "I'm sure they'll just think it's funny! After all, it makes sense one of Eraserhead's problem children would have the luck to run into someone with a gender-bending quirk on his first patrol with his senpai."

"That's what I'm afraid of." The greenette sighed, tugging at his uniform uncomfortably. He still couldn't believe Recovery Girl had given them both a girl's uniform.

 _"It's all I have at hand I'm afraid,"_ she'd apologized. _"To be fair I've sent many of boys out of my office in skirts because they horse-played their uniforms into ruin. While yours simply won't fit correctly it would still be better to wear these until you're back to normal and can wear yours properly."_

While Mirio didn't seem to mind the skirt in the slightest, Izuku's legs felt strangely bear, and his shirt felt too tight despite it being much looser than his usual uniform shirt. With a pout he finally placed a defeated hand on the doorknob. "I guess I'll just have to deal with this. I can't miss class or else I'll risk getting behind again."

"That's the spirit!" The blond third-year cheered before slapping Izuku's back good-naturedly. "I have class of my own to get back to though, so I'll see you during your free period tomorrow then. Or perhaps I'll stop by during your lunch period to see how you're doing. We'll see! Hmm," he mumbled as he made to walk away, "I really hope this wears off by tomorrow like they predicted. If I have to spar in this form I'll need to be super careful. It's not my willy I'll be flashing if my clothes fall off!"

Izuku sweat-dropped. He hadn't even thought about the third-year's dilemma. "Um, good luck with that, Mirio-senpai. See you later." He waved goodbye to his senpai with a slender hand before taking a deep breath.

 _It's now or never._

Opening the door with closed eyes, Izuku spit out a quick apology as he stepped into the room and bowed respectfully.

"I apologize for being late for class, Aizawa-sensei! Mirio-senpai and I got set back in Recovery Girl's office after a small-time prankster with a quirk called Genderbend sort of hit us with her quirk. It is supposed to wear off by tomorrow afternoon, but—"

He was cut off by a chorus of surprised screams.

"Whoa, is that Midoriya?"

"Deku-kun! Oh my goodness, what happened?"

"Holy crap, Midoriya as a girl is so cute!"

"Midori?"

"What the hell, Deku?"

"Those boobs aren't very big, but damn Midoriya you still make for a sexy chick. Can I touch them?"

The wave of chatter settled down when Aizawa's eyes lit up. "Sit down," he ordered as he activated his quirk. Within seconds everyone had quieted, leaving the teacher to acknowledge the nervous Izuku standing in the doorway blushing like mad. "As for you, Midoriya, if you feel it best to head back to the dorms early today I will understand. Otherwise please grab your hero costume from the boy's locker room while we're all still in here, and change in the teacher's lounge instead. Seeing as you're still a boy regardless of body and will be back to normal tomorrow I don't believe you'd feel comfortable changing in the girl's locker room. With the amount of immaturity in the room I don't want you changing in the boy's locker room either," he sent a hard glare to Mineta's direction.

Izuku nodded, suddenly relieved the teacher wasn't mad she was late. "I'll just go grab my hero costume now then. I don't want to miss class when I can still function normally."

"Good. Iida," Aizawa gestured towards Izuku, "escort Midoriya to the locker room and bring him to the teacher's lounge directly after. I'll be there shortly to make sure it's empty for his use."

"Yes, sir! As the class representative I will make sure Midoriya's dignity is protected at all costs."

 _Please kill me now,_ Izuku thought to himself as Iida gave him a textbook rundown of the female anatomy he now possessed.

Today couldn't end soon enough.

"I'm sure you look fine, Deku-kun." Uraraka coaxed her friend from the other side of the teacher's lounge door. She'd switched escort duty with Iida after changing into her own hero gear, her blue-haired friend saying something about Izuku maybe needing help with his costume. What it ended up being was actually Izuku not wanting his classmates to see him in his gear.

"I don't know," the timid voice of the greenette came from behind the closed door. It sounded even more timid than usual with how his voice had been affected by the body change. "My costume was already a little tight in places, but now…"

Without warning, Izuku finally opened the door. He stuck his head out first before stepping out with a blush. His now shoulder-length green hair, which was being kept in a ponytail to avoid him getting it in his face, whipped around as he turned his head quickly in embarrassment, a gloved hand clutching his chest loosely. It seemed his costume was a bit more form fitting than usual. It seemed particularly tighter at the chest and hips.

Uraraka winced. "Oh, that's what you're worried about. I mean it's honestly not that bad, Deku-kun! Tsu-chan and my costume are just as tight. At least the material your costume is made out of isn't super thin or revealing."

"True. I just don't want people staring at me is all."

"No one will be staring at you," she began, only to reconsider her statement. "Well, they'll probably stare for a little bit, but it shouldn't last long. Except for Mineta. If he bothers you though just say the word and either Tsu-chan or Jiro will teach him a lesson!"

Izuku laughed at the pose Uraraka struck as she made her threat.

"Thanks, Uraraka-chan. I guess I'm ready to head to the training grounds then."

"Great! Let's go before Iida-kun lectures us about the importance of being on time."

"Oh no, again?"

Class went on as normal, although with a lot more lewd comments from Mineta.

"Mineta-kun," Izuku stated tersely as they ran side by side down the hall of the factory they were infiltrating. Their trio only had ten minutes to steal top secret information (aka a flash drive) and get out without the hero team catching them. Hagakure had run ahead of them, using her stealth to her advantage. Izuku and Mineta planned on being decoys. "I'd appreciate if you could stop making comments about my body. It's making me very uncomfortable. Besides, I'm going to be my normal male self tomorrow anyway, so…"

The purple-haired hero in training rolled his eyes.

"Dude, it's not my fault you got hit by a quirk that makes you much more attractive than normal. But if it's creeping you out I'll stop. On one condition, that is."

He stopped running, which made Izuku stop as well.

"Fine. What condition?" The greenette relented half-mindedly as he listened for either Todoroki, Bakugo, or Kaminari. He suspected one or two of them would be guarding the room with the flash drive and the remaining would be after them, but with Bakugo on their team you never knew.

"One squeeze."

" _No_."

"But you're still a dude at heart, so I don't get what the big deal—"

The sound of explosions cut him off. Izuku quickly got into a fighting stance, eyes scanning the way they had just come. From around a corner they hadn't decided to go down flashing lights could be seen and nitroglycerin could be smelled.

"Let's run away!" Mineta nearly shouted in a panic, his voice being muffled at the last moment by a hesitant greenette.

"No. I think he's just trying to scare us into going farther this way. They aren't allowed to do too much damage to the building, which means not only would Kacchan using his quirk randomly be silly but Kaminari and Todoroki are going to have to hold back as well. He's probably just trying to pinpoint Hagakure's location. Let's just hide here for a moment."

"Where? That maniac is getting closer and there's nowhere to go!"

Izuku looked up and smirked.

"That's where you're wrong. Mineta-kun, can you climb up there really quick? I have a plan."

Barely a minute later, a vigilant Bakugo trudged down the hall. His telltale scowl was already on his face as he lit small explosions every now and then. It helped light up some of the dimmer corners of the halls, the factory not having very good lighting as it was. This was exactly the reason he was finally able to catch a sliver of movement from down the hall.

 _Bingo,_ Bakugo smiled cruelly.

Instead of pretending to not notice Izuku, the blond ran forward with a battle cry of "Deku!" before propelling himself around the corner. Instantly he was treated to a glowing feint. The right hook never came, Izuku using the chance to slip past Bakugo and back down the hall.

"Nice try, Kacchan." He taunted with a playful grin. "But you'll have to be quicker than that!"

"You think you're so fast? I'll show you, nerd!"

Two huge explosions sent Bakugo rocketing down the hallway, making Izuku use Full Cowling to barely roll out of the way in time. Even after getting out of the way in time he didn't have a moment to rest. He evaded another two punches, a kick, and a vicious knee to the gut when a sudden chill make Izuku curse inwardly.

Todoroki had arrived.

Frost sped towards Izuku's feet, and it would have captured him if not for fast reflexes. Now the greenette had to hop around explosions and pillars of ice like a rabbit running for his life. The odds weren't looking too good.

 _I hope Hagakure finds the flash drive soon._

"Stop playing games, Deku!"

"Yes, Midoriya, you might want to step up your game. You seem to be at a great disadvantage."

Izuku raised an eyebrow.

"What makes you say that, Todoroki-kun?"

"Your teammates are nowhere to be seen."

"Is that so?"

Suddenly a particularly large, yet pinpointed explosion sent a pillar of Todoroki's ice shattering. The chucks that rained onto Izuku did so at almost point blank range. Said force of the blast sent Izuku rolling backwards right into Todoroki's chest.

Literally.

As in Todoroki hadn't been expecting that sort of blast either, and Izuku's sudden appearance in his arms had been something of a reflex. Catching him was better than them colliding, right?

"Todoroki-kun!" Izuku shouted, quickly kicking his way out of the dual-haired boy's arms. "We're supposed to be fighting!"

The fire and ice user blinked in confusion.

"I didn't mean to catch you. It just happened. We were both going to fall down otherwise, so…"

"You useless half-and-half bastard," Bakugo shouted as he ran towards them, "you're supposed to be pounding him into the dirt! I gave you a perfect opportunity to trap him with your ice, and you let him go."

"Maybe if you'd stuck to the plan I would have been more prepared. Besides—"

A grate popped off the wall above them, the sound of it clattering to the ground crashing Todoroki's train of thought.

"Secret attack, Purple Rain!"

All of a sudden dozens of Mineta's sticky balls were sent raining across the hall.

Izuku would have smirked. Her plan at distracting them had worked, but she hadn't accounted on being in the range of fire. It was all she could do but curse inwardly as she tried to evade the purple balls coming towards her. Todoroki was out of luck, a good seven balls landing on him almost comically before Izuku kicked him in the chest to get him stuck to the wall.

Trapping Bakugo on the other hand? It wasn't that easy.

"You think a couple of these shitty ass grapes will stop me?" Bakugo raged after a ball landed on one of his gauntlets and another on his shoulder. "I won't go down as easy as Icyhot over there!"

True to his word he didn't go down nearly as easily. No, Izuku commended his childhood friend for fighting without getting the sticky substances on him too close to anything to stick to. He also commended Mineta, who kept throwing balls at Bakugo from above. He managed to get one on the palm of his left hand as well as on his mask.

And then things went wrong.

"Deku!"

After getting particularly close, Bakugo reached out to grab Izuku by the shirt. Sadly he forgot how much less fabric was there. Basically, all Bakugo ended up doing was awkwardly groping a red-faced Izuku.

"K-kacchan! You pervert!" With that Izuku's arm lit up with the power of One For All. Before Bakugo could even widen his eyes a super-powered hand collided with his face in a dreadful smack. He was sent flying into the metal wall of the facility, red eyes burning with anger as he coughed up a small amount of blood.

"What the hell was that for? It's not like I meant to fu—"

"Bakugo, I suggest you apologize to Midoriya. What you did, even as an accident, was technically sexual harassment."

"Shut it half-and-half, you're literally stuck to the wall!"

"And you're embedded in one."

"How come he gets to touch the merchandise but I can't?" Mineta wailed from the edge of the vent.

Izuku, Todoroki, and Bakugo simultaneously turned to the grape-themed hero in annoyance.

 _"Shut up!"_

"Whee!" Kaminari's electric-induced state of stupidity made its appearance.

Everyone in the room stopped their squabbling.

"Wait, this dumbass was supposed to be guarding the flash drive." Bakugo commented.

"If he's here…" Todoroki trailed off.

A buzzer sounded then, making Izuku breathe a sigh of relief.

 _"The villain team wins."_

Eying himself in the mirror he'd been handed, Izuku nodded in appreciation.

"Wow! Thanks for braiding my hair, Tsu-chan."

The shorter greenette trilled happily. "No problem, Midoriya-kun. It got pretty messed up during that fight, but it should be more manageable now. As long as you keep the ponytail in it should last until you change back tomorrow."

"That's great, because—"

A sudden pain blossomed in the back of his head. It was so unexpected that it took him a moment to realize someone had elbowed him.

"Hey!" Mina shouted, standing up in defense of her "little sister Midori". "You're that annoying kid from class 1-B. Who do you think you are going around hitting our friend?"

Monoma rolled his eyes, waving an arm out dramatically in a mock-elegant fashion. "Sorry, I almost didn't recognize him. You look different. Midoriya, was it? Oh right! I heard you got your senpai, one of the Big Three, hit by a quick that turned both of you into the opposite gender. Class 1-A just keeps causing trouble doesn't it?"

Izuku opened his mouth to defend himself, but it quickly closed when he noticed the muscled figure standing behind the haughty blond. Monoma saw his failure to talk as a form of admittance and quickly continued his rant about how troublesome their class was.

"I mean seriously! Not only did people from your class get in trouble for fighting on the first day back from the license exam, but—"

"Excuse me, talkative one! What's your name?"

Monoma turned around in confusion, eyes roaming the charismatic blond in half-recognition.

"I'm Monoma, but a better question would be who are you? You look familiar."

A large smile lit up Mirio's face.

"I'm Midoriya-kun's senpai. I was on my way to check on him when I noticed you hitting him on the head. Not very heroic, hmm?"

"You know," the currently muscled female continued with the same smile, "what would happen if you copied my quick and used it without proper training? Would you just keep falling through the Earth until your quirk's time limit ran out? Would you fall and then fling yourself to the ceiling with the strength of mass times acceleration? Would you simply phase through your clothes? Either way, whatever happens sure sounds like it'd be fun to watch. Perhaps we should test it!"

Monoma realized he'd made a mistake picking on Izuku. With a far-fetched lie about their class president calling for him, he left Mirio shaking his head sadly.

"He's one of class 1-B's problem children, isn't he? I'll have to remember that when I speak to their class about internships in a couple weeks. Anywho, how goes it, Midoriya-kun? I managed not to flash my classmates during training today! Well, they saw my butt, but that's nothing they haven't seen before."

Izuku and company listened with mild exasperation as Mirio told them the story of the first time he'd accidentally flashed Sir Nighteye.

"Apparently he knew it was coming, and he'd tried to look away, but Bubble Girl had suddenly appeared with another pro hero who…"

Perhaps if he never stopped talking tomorrow would be there in an instant.


	18. Izuku is abandoned (2)

AN: Eighteenth chapter: the long-awaited abandoned sequel! Not sure why it was so hard to finish this- I love fatherly Aizawa more than I do Dad Might. Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

It was only a matter of time until his class found out about his mother. Bakugo had been the first person he'd told, Uraraka and Iida being informed shortly after his talk with All Might and Aizawa, but while Izuku knew none of them would gossip out in the open about his personal life something told him the rest of his classmates would figure it out sooner or later. He just wished he'd found a chance to tell them all before the rumors got too… _wild_.

He also wished his teachers had been a little more subtle.

* * *

Hint #1:

"Midoriya, a word?"

The greenette paused his conversation with Todoroki, eyes drifting over the shoulder of his friend to meet Aizawa's gaze. With a quick apology Izuku slipped out of his seat and walked over to the teacher's desk. Around him his classmates continued to work on the homework, only a couple curious students shooting glances at the "cinnamon roll" of the class.

He stopped on the left side of the desk where Aizawa lie in his bright yellow sleeping bag. "Um, sensei? You asked for me?"

A yawn. "I did. This weekend is a two-day weekend due to the school reconfiguring the electrical systems. Because classes are cancelled on Saturday and we usually have Sundays off anyway most of your classmates will be taking this time to go home. Everyone else has asked for permission to leave U.A. premises for some reason or another, which leads to my question. What would you prefer to do? Would you like to remain in the dorms, or would you rather spend the weekend at the apartment?"

"Oh, I forgot that was happening this weekend." Izuku rambled. "I don't mind it either way, honestly? I mean it might get a little lonely here so if it's okay with you the apartment might actually be the better choice but I really don't want to impose on you despite the fact you keep telling me it's a non-issue. What do you—"

"Apartment it is," Aizawa cut him off with a sigh. "Go sit back down, Midoriya. I want five examples of hero law clashing with the First Theory of the Hero Profession in the next ten minutes."

Izuku nodded rapidly. "Yes, sensei!"

With that he rejoined Todoroki at his desk, the dual-haired boy tilting his head in confusion.

"Why did Aizawa-sensei want to talk with you about this weekend? Aren't you going home or taking a trip like some of our classmates?"

"Oh, I am. I just hadn't asked for permission yet. Anyway, how many examples did we have?"

Todoroki let the subject drop, but in his head gears were turning. He'd heard Izuku ramble about "imposing" on their teacher. Was he not just going home to visit his mother? Surely she still wasn't on the trip she'd been on last month.

Right?

Hint #2:

Present Mic had taken the news of Izuku's situation harder than some of the other staff. Having worked with a wide variety of children during his career as a teacher, as he loved working with kids of all ages ever since he was a teenager, it always made his heart ache to know the less desirable details of his students' home lives.

Especially when that little listener's birthday was just around the corner.

"I'm telling ya, Shota, we've got to do something to celebrate the kid's birthday! He's turning the big one-six!"

"I am well aware of how old he is, Hizashi; however, All Might has informed me that he would not like us drawing attention to it."

"Oh come on! Why not?"

"He didn't delve into the details, but he suspects Midoriya doesn't want his classmates to make a big deal out of it. Apparently it was just his mother and him celebrating his birthday for the most of his life. Not only would having his classmates find out be overwhelming, but it also might remind him that his mother won't be there this year."

The two teachers lapsed into a heavy silence. One wracked his brain for a solution, a way to make Midoriya's special day special without upsetting him, while the other felt another surge of anger at the whole situation. The latter was also the one to sigh, reaching into his pocket to pull out his cell phone. A couple of minutes later he put it away wordlessly. It wasn't until All Might entered the teacher's lounge with a grin on his face that Present Mic realized Aizawa had been texting the retired hero.

"Shota, that's a wonderful idea! I'm sure he'll love that." All Might gestured excitedly.

Aizawa hid a small smile under his capture weapon (aka giant scarf).

Present Mic looked between the two comically.

"Wait! What did I miss?"

"Shota here thought of a great idea for a birthday gift for Young Midoriya."

"He didn't tell me squat!" He whined, pointing at Aizawa accusingly. "What is it? Tell me, tell me!"

All Might told him, and neither he nor Aizawa were prepared for the quirk-enhanced shout the Voice Hero would let out.

"SHOTA, YOU'RE A GENIUS! YOU'RE GOING TO BE THE BEST GUARDIAN EVER! MIDORIYA WON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT HIT— him?"

The glare that erased his quirk was bone chilling.

"Keep your voice down you idiot. Midoriya hasn't told his classmates about his change in guardianship yet, and I plan on keeping it to where he will be the one to tell them when he's ready. If you keep yelling like the natural loudmouth you are people are going to overhear."

"Oh," said loudmouth chuckled nervously. "You're right. Sorry!"

All Might shook his head in amusement. A bickering Aizawa and Present Mic were a common sight. "I'm sure it's quite alright, Hizashi. Just try to be a little more discrete next time."

"Will do!"

On the other hand, none of them realized a student had been in the hallway during the time of Present Mic's outburst. Kaminari, who'd just been on his way back to class after using the bathroom, had heard the entire thing.

The yellow-haired hero blinked hard, a hand coming to hit himself upside the head.

 _I must be hearing things,_ he tried to convince himself. _There's no way Aizawa-sensei is Midoriya's guardian. That would mean something happened to his mom, which couldn't have happened because my dude hasn't said a word about her since her trip last month when Bakugo got mad about his mom not being able to contact her on her birthday which means… oh no. It all adds up. Midoriya acting off since we moved into the dorms, his strange cover-ups at why he couldn't go home or contact his mom. What if something happened to her? What if… what if she died?_

Kaminari hurried to class after that, panic settling in his mind. He needed to talk to one of his friends right away. Maybe one of them could help him make sense of what he'd just overheard.

Hint#3:

Class had just dismissed when Aizawa had motioned for him to hold back.

"Take this pass and go back to the dorms, Midoriya." The underground hero ordered with some disappointment.

"W-what? Why?"

"Don't play dumb with me; you've been sick all morning. There's no way I'm allowing you to participate in battle training only for you to sneeze your way into a broken bone."

"But I don't feel that bad. Please let me go to All Might's class! I don't want to fall behind."

"You won't fall behind from missing one class. Also, if you don't feel so bad then why do you keep squinting? You're also flushed. And don't think I didn't overhear Iida complaining that you didn't eat anything at lunch either. Lacking an appetite because you're nauseous, are you?"

"I'm not—"

"Izuku, don't lie to me. I don't have to be Recovery Girl to know you're showing signs of a migraine along with fever. Go back to the dorms and take it easy."

The student deflated, any prospect of arguing fading.

"Yes, sensei."

Izuku made to leave after taking the note from his teacher and guardian, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"I apologize for being so strict," he stated tiredly. "It's honestly a challenge to separate disciplining you as a student versus a ward. I just don't want you falling further behind by participating in an environment where your health should be at its best. If you got hurt while sick it would take even longer for you to get back to normal. I did not mean to seem harsh," the man finished with a sigh.

"It's fine, Aizawa. I know you're only concerned because you care." Izuku responded with a small smile before wincing. "And, um, my head is killing me."

His teacher shot him with a look of "I knew it". "I think some water and a nap would help. I will escort you to the dorms, okay? After that I'll check on you later tonight to make sure you're feeling better. If you're worse I'm having Recovery Girl come to check you out."

"That's fair."

As the two made their way out of the room Izuku was embarrassed to realize Yaoyorozu and Jiro had been standing outside the classroom patiently. Had they heard their conversation?

"What can I help you to with?" Was all Aizawa would offer them.

Crossing her arms agitatedly, Jiro ranted about how Mineta found another hole between the locker rooms.

"I made something to fill the hole," Yaoyorozu continued politely as always, "but I wanted to make sure it was alright with you to…"

"Permission granted. Also feel free to tell Mineta we'll be having another talk about his unheroic behaviors."

With that Aizawa made his way down the hall, glancing back only once to make sure Izuku was following. Even as the duo turned the corner the two girls could only stare in confusion.

Jiro met her friend's intelligent eyes with her own.

"Was it just me, or did Aizawa-sensei call Midoriya by his first name?"

Hint #4:

The sound of a body breaking through water was what made Izuku react.

"Aoyama-kun!"

Without a moments' hesitation he dove into the man-made lake that was the shipwreck zone. He'd known today's training would be difficult for some (rescuing fake civilians from a ship which was taken over by mechanical adversaries), but he'd been especially worried about Iida and Aoyama. Considering their hero costumes were largely made of metal they'd been doing most of the fighting taking place on deck during their turns. This allowed others more suited for rescue to assist civilians onto life boats or stop major structural damage to the ship.

And then the boat had tilted, Aoyama falling off the edge of the side railing as everyone else scrambled for purchase.

"Help!" The blond wailed as he struggled to stop himself from sinking. It managed to be the only word he got out before the weight of his armor combined with his waterlogged cape dragged him under.

Luckily he only sunk for a total of two seconds before Izuku made contact with the water, silently hoping Tokoyami had seen the commotion from the other end of the boat and was on his way to assist.

 _Aoyama!_ He screamed mentally, his eyes stinging as he tried to see through the dark water. It was all he could do to grab blindly ahead of him, a few stray sparks of One For All illuminating some of the metal that made up his friend's chest plate. With a strong kick Izuku darted forward to grab onto the other boy's cape. _All right, I got you!_

He pivoted in the water as fast as he could, pushing himself with the added weight of his classmate upward. His lungs burned as he broke the surface of the water.

"Tokoyami-kun," was the first thing he shouted, "take him!"

The greenette's eyes were still closed as he felt Aoyama get lifted from the water. Dark Shadow had scooped him up in record time, like he'd been waiting for the sparkling hero to come back up. As Izuku blinked the water out of his eyes he quickly realized something was wrong. Why was he so close to the back of the boat now? And why did it feel like he was being pulled backwards?

 _"Y- Mid-ya, w-ch -t!"_ All Might's garbled voice tried to warn him through the headpiece shorting out in his ear.

Izuku made out Dark Shadow depositing Aoyama onto the deck, a worried Mina immediately taking off his armor and rubbing his back as he coughed up water. Tokoyami turned his attention away from them a second later, saying something frantic to Dark Shadow.

Wait, what had All Might been trying to warn him about?

His split second decision to turn his attention to his classmates caused him to miss the back side of the boat looming over him. Before he could react he felt another tug from below.

Suddenly, he was dragged under.

 _Oh no, this must be the undercurrent. If I can just—_

The thought remained unfinished as his head struck the bottom of the ship hard, his mouth flying open in response to the pain only to fill with water.

 _C-crap! I need to…_

Izuku felt his vision darken just as he made out the sound of blades from the rushing water. He was getting close to the propeller. He needed to do something now, or else he might get brought in too close. The ship wasn't horribly big but even the small propeller pushing the ship forward was highly dangerous.

Unfortunately, the hit to the head was disorienting, and try as he might he'd already swallowed a couple mouthfuls of water.

 _I need to…_

The last thing he remembered was choking, bubbles the last thing he saw before it went black.

 _"Young Midoriya! My boy, wake up."_

The greenette sat up with a start, his mouth opening to retch an unhealthy amount of water onto the ship floor. After a moment he noticed Aoyama patting his back comfortingly. There were tears in the French boy's eyes as he burst out:

"I'm so glad you're okay, _ami_. We were all so worried! _Je vous remercie,_ for saving me back there. I am in your debt!"

"Um, you're welcome, I think? But you don't need to be indebted to me. Saving people is the right thing to—" Another round of coughs interrupted him. "Anyway, what happened after I got swept under? I know I hit my head, then everything went dark."

"Tsu saw what was happening not too far from the shore," Mina explained from where she stood with Tokoyami and Tsuyu. "She swam over and grabbed you before you could hit the propeller."

Izuku smiled lopsidedly at the frog girl. His head was still throbbing, and his chest felt tight, yet he was grateful and needed to show it.

"Thank you, Tsu-chan."

"Ribbit. No problem. I was just glad I made it to you in time."

"Yeah! We were so scared, Midori! We thought you were going to drown or worse," Mina said with a pout. "Even All Might was freaking out over the communicators. He was so upset he was rambling about how your mom was going to kill you if she found out you got majorly hurt during another one of his classes."

He stilled. "He said what?"

Mina shrugged. "Well, he said guardian instead of mom for some reason, but we all know what he meant."

Izuku managed a small chuckle. "Oh, um, yep! My mom would sure be upset if she found out I got hurt again. Anyway, we better get back to shore, right?"

His classmates agreed, but there was a shared look between Tokoyami, Aoyama, and Tsuyu. Something about All Might's wording was strange. There was also the brief look of terror and sadness that appeared on Izuku's face when his mother was mentioned.

Had something happened right under their noses?

Hint#5:

"Everyone, we are all gathered here tonight to discuss something of the utmost importance: conspiracy theories regarding Midori's guardianship!" Mina announced passionately.

The entire class was currently assembled in the common area save for Bakugo, who had refused to come to her "stupid-ass meeting" to instead to homework, and the Deku-squad (composed of Iida, Uraraka, and Izuku himself), who had stated they were going outside of U.A. grounds for a couple of hours today. The trio had been gone for a while and it drove Mina crazy with curiosity. Where had they gone, and why were they all being so secretive about it?

Todoroki of all people voiced his mind first.

"I think he's All Might's secret love child."

Several classmates looked at him completely dumbfounded. It wasn't just what the half-n-half hero had said, but the serious look on his face and set conviction in his voice as he said it.

"Well, I wouldn't put it like that, but Midoriya-kun's quirk is very similar to All Might's, ribbit."

"Guys, are you forgetting that I literally heard Present Mic yelling about how Aizawa-sensei is his guardian?"

"Guardian being the key word though." Ojiro pointed out.

"Yeah, I couldn't picture Aizawa-sensei being Midoriya's dad." Jiro voiced.

"That'd be pretty weird. They aren't alike at all." Sato mumbled.

Hagakure jumped up animatedly, her pajamas the only indicator of this.

"What're you guys saying? I could totally see it! Maybe that's why Aizawa-sensei was so hard on him in the beginning of the year and has called him a problem child ever since. Besides, anyone can tell he's been treating Midori differently since the training camp. Maybe Midori getting majorly hurt has put his protective instincts into overdrive!"

Tokoyami nodded his head thoughtfully from where he stood next to an impassive Shoji.

"Perhaps that could be the case, yet it must also be pointed out how much All Might and Midoriya are alike, quirks aside. They both have the same heroic ideals, willing to save those in need even if they do it in a way that's a bit reckless or self-sacrificing."

"Isn't that because Midoriya has worshiped the guy since he was four? That means nothing. Besides, what about his mom?" Mina said loudly, an arm waving around dramatically to emphasize her point.

Aoyama frowned. "Perhaps she passed away."

A tension settled upon a room.

"Actually," Yaoyorozu stated with a small voice, "the thought occurred to me as well."

"You two do have a point." Kirishima regarded despite how much the knots in his stomach detested the idea. "Why else would Aizawa-sensei be his guardian?"

"Because it's a cover to hide the truth that All Might is his biological father!" Mineta shouted.

Shoji spoke up, finally getting tired of all the conspiracies. It was time to look at the facts. "No. I firmly believe there is no way Midoriya's mother died without him taking some time off of school. We would have noticed if he was severely affected by an event that tragic."

"He was acting pretty off when we came back from break a couple months back…"

"But Koda there's no record of a Midoriya dying anywhere online." Sero voiced from the couch. "I just searched for it online. There would be an obituary if she'd passed away, right?"

Tsuyu put a finger to her cheek thoughtfully.

"Not necessarily, ribbit. Sometimes they avoid putting victims of homicide or more case-sensitive murder victims in the news if it could affect a case or cause the media to go into a frenzy. A relatives word could also stop something like that from surfacing too."

"Guys, what if she was killed?" Kaminari burst out.

"Really? By who?"

"A criminal? A villain?"

"Oh my gosh, what if Shigaraki found her and killed her? He found Midoriya at the mall. Who's to say after that All For One villain hurt All Might that Shigaraki didn't go after Midoriya? Maybe his mom got in the way or got caught in the crossfire." Mineta trembled in terror at the thought.

"Or maybe some nosy students need to learn how not to jump to conclusions."

The entire room froze at the sound of Aizawa's monotone voice.

Stepping around the entrance to the kitchen and into the living room, the look the teacher sent his class was one full of disappointment. It immediately had his students looking at the ground in guilt.

"I thought something was strange when I saw the lot of you gathered here arguing through the windows," he began tiredly, "so instead of walking through the front door and drawing your meeting short I thought it best to go through the back. And what do I overhear? My students are spending their time gossiping about their classmate and their teachers."

"We didn't mean to gossip," Mina tried feebly.

"What she means to say is that we've all been noticing some things that have us concerned," Yaoyorozu amended. "I don't think her intention was to gossip about our friend or respected teachers. We simple don't feel like we should remain in the dark after the things we've noticed."

Aizawa raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"

"Midoriya has been going home with you for the past couple months instead of taking the train to his own home," Todoroki called out.

Jiro hesitantly raised her hand as if she were still in class. "I heard you call Midoriya by his first name… on more than one occasion."

"Me too," Shoji added.

"I heard Present Mic call you his guardian." Kaminari admitted.

"All Might said 'guardian' instead of what he usually says in regards to Midoriya's mother," Tsuyu stated confidently. "We've also noticed you've seemed to be more patient and protective with him since he was acting strangely after All Might's retirement. In fact, the other teachers seem to be looking out for him more as well. Not to say that you don't look after all of us, but—"

"Is Midori's mom okay?" Hagakure interrupted. Heads swiveled in her direction at the emotion in her voice. "Every time someone mentions her Midori looks so sad. I get that it's not our business or whatever, but if something happened and he's hurting then we deserve to know. Not for our own benefit, but because we care and want to help him."

"Yeah!" Kirishima agreed. "Midoriya's our friend, and we just want to know what's going on so we can be there for him."

This brought several agreements, various voices rising over the other until Aizawa was forced to raise a hand in order to get them to quiet down. With a heavy sigh he regarded his class seriously.

"Let me start by saying I will not be addressing any rumors or conspiracies. Midoriya will decide when he is ready to discuss his personal life with you. As his friends, I would hope you would wait patiently until he is ready to talk. Until then I would advise you not to talk about him when he is not here to defend himself. Do I make myself clear?"

 _"Yes, sensei."_

He nodded. "Good. I'll be going now, but remember curfew is in thirty minutes."

With that the teacher left, barely a full ten seconds passing before those gathered in the living room heard hushed voices arguing from the front door. After a couple more seconds of confusion the front door burst open, revealing Izuku, Iida, and Uraraka.

"Um, hello everyone!" Izuku greeted as he waved awkwardly at his classmates. "Did you guys get done watching a movie or something? That would explain why Kacchan is nowhere to be seen."

Kirishima grinned like nothing was the matter.

"Amazing deduction as always, Midoriya! We were all just getting ready to head upstairs. Curfew is just around the corner y'know."

Iida nodded dutifully. "You are correct. Everyone, be sure to be in your rooms five minutes before curfew just to be safe!"

A couple murmurs of "fine", "okay" or "noted" were heard. A handful of students began shuffling away when Tsuyu cleared her throat.

"Midoriya-kun? Can I ask you something?"

Izuku seemed confused by the sudden tension that was beginning to rise in the room.

"Sure, Tsu. What is it?"

"You know we're your friends, right?"

Uraraka and Iida exchanged concerned glances, Izuku's smile fading as he heard the question. Something was wrong.

"Of course I know that."

The frog themed hero closed her eyes before slowly opening them again.

"I thought so. I just wanted to be sure, because being your friend means we're here for you no matter what. We care about you, Midoriya-kun. Just know you can come to us with anything and we'll be there for you, okay?"

"Where is this coming from? Tsu? Guys?" He looked around at his classmates who either looked away guiltily or were staring at him hopefully. It was only when Uraraka whispered something into his ear that his eyes widened in realization. After a moment his face clouded with worry only for it to vanish as Uraraka slid a hand into his and Iida put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

The greenette took a deep breath before facing his classmates again, this time his face determined.

"I guess it's about time."

With his free hand Izuku reached into his pocket and pulled out a simple looking key attached to a cat key-chain. His classmates looked at it curiously.

"A key?" Mineta said. "I don't get it."

Izuku smiled softly, shaking his head a tiny bit before he responded.

"This is a key to Aizawa-sensei's apartment. He's been my legal guardian for over two months now."

The silence that followed was suffocating.

Kirishima gulped, his heart pounding. He needed to know. "And your mom?"

Several braced themselves for the words "she died", but instead they were even more pained to hear "she left" from Midoriya's soft breath.

Todoroki frowned. "What do you mean 'she left'?"

Iida and Uraraka surged forward, telling the story Izuku had told them after his approval. When it was all said and done their classmates could only run up and hug him to show their grief and support. It has started with Kirishima, Mina, Hagakure, Koda, and Aoyama tackling him into a hug full of tears. Slowly a couple other classmates joined in until they were all a giant lump in the middle of the living room.

"I'm sorry for not telling you all sooner," Izuku apologized as he wiped away a few stray tears.

Several voices cut him off, saying there was nothing to apologize for and that they should have been more patient.

"Regardless, thank you for telling us." Todoroki said sincerely. Other classmates followed his example. "Although I do have one question."

"Of course. What is it?"

"Why is Aizawa-sensei your guardian and not All Might?"

Izuku chuckled nervously. "Well, there's some legal stuff involved that made Aizawa-sensei the best option, but in addition to me being happy with whoever would have me to continue my schooling here while not dragging my mom into a legal situation, Aizawa-sensei mentioned All Might would spoil me way too much. There's also the fact that All Might barely takes care of himself anymore, and knowing him his bad habits would transfer to me making my quality of living degrade at levels that are uncouth of someone my age…"

As he continued on about why All Might wouldn't be the best idea, health and media involvement also being points brought up, a couple students glanced at each other worriedly. Why was it that their Izuku was starting to sound just like their homeroom teacher?

* * *

Bonus:

When Aizawa walked into his apartment with arms full of cat food and a couple of cat toys he couldn't resist the last thing he expected was to see more than one of his students taking over his abode.

"Izuku," the off the clock teacher stated tiredly as he set the bags he was holding on the table. "What is going on?"

The greenette looked up innocently from where he read a book next to a black cat named Eraser.

"I'm reading. How did shopping go, Otosan?"

"Don't 'Otosan' me right now, problem child. You know that only makes me feel old." He would vehemently deny anyone who argued otherwise. "Answer the question: why are there more kids in my house than cats?"

Izuku shrugged.

"They all needed somewhere to go, so I invited them over."

Aizawa pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Let's just start from the top. Why is Todoroki here?"

"His dad is home for the night," he answered as if that explained everything.

"Uraraka?"

"Traveling all the way home is expensive, and she didn't want to stay in the dorms alone with Mineta. I can have the couch the next two nights."

A loud pair of arguing voices made themselves known; from the sound of it they were coming from Izuku's room.

Aizawa stared at Izuku blankly.

"Bakugo and Kirishima?"

"Kacchan's mom was yelling at him a lot tonight, so he needed to get out of the house. Kirishima is just here to play video games."

"Shinso?"

The purple-haired general studies student spoke up for himself.

"Midoriya was helping me test the constraints of my quirk before everyone else showed up. I just figured I'd stay because cats." To show his point he pet the calico feline on his lap on her chin. "Your cats are adorable, sensei."

Izuku looked up at Aizawa worriedly.

"Is this not okay? I guess I should have asked, but you said I needed to start acting like this was my place to so I just went ahead and invited everyone. I made sure no one goes in your room though, and I made dinner. Leftovers are in the microwave for you."

 _This kid,_ Aizawa thought to himself. He wasn't really mad. He had just been confused.

"You're fine, kid. What did you make for dinner?"

The boy's green eyes lit up as he told Aizawa how he and Shinso had cooked katsudon for the first time. As he gushed about how well it had turned out despite the improvements he knew he could make next time, Aizawa hid a smile behind his scarf.

 _Self-sacrificing tendencies and all, I don't think I could ever get tired of this._


	19. Izuku is abandoned (3)

AN: Nineteenth chapter: abandoned part 3! SLIGHT SPOILER WARNING FOR SEASON 4/MANGA. Basically more fatherly Aizawa along with big brother Izuku and sisterly/motherly Uraraka with Eri-chan. Also some angst at the end because, well, I couldn't help it... sorry not sorry lol.

* * *

 _About two and a half years later…_

 _"It seems like Eri-chan was abandoned by her parents."_

Izuku thought about that a lot.

For him losing his mother had been life-changing for obvious reasons. His father had never been around, so all he felt was a sort of detached disappointment. His mother though, she had been his only friend growing up, and after fifteen years her leaving had taken a chunk of himself with her. All the good memories of them reading picture books together, playing hero, and watching the news together suddenly looked gray-scale in his mind's eye. There was a wave of bitterness that came with every single one, because how could any of those memories have been truly _good_ if they didn't stop her from leaving?

After a couple years one would think he would have gotten over his mother, but it was the exact opposite. The pain had simply faded to a dull hum beneath the surface. One nightmare could dredge that all up, leaving him crying out for his mom and sobbing in bed for her to come back.

Those nights, if it happened at the dorms Izuku would tough it out. If he were at Aizawa's apartment, well, the man wouldn't let him suffer alone.

 _The sound of gasps and crying made Aizawa get out of bed, consciousness always just underneath the surface of sleep like he was only catnapping. It had been weeks since the last night like this (as far as he was aware). While it didn't get any easier he knew how to go about it, ignoring the painful clenching of his heart as he opened the door to Izuku's bedroom._

 _"Izuku?" He called softly as his eyes came to rest on the huddled up figure in bed. The boy's arms were wrapped around his knees as he hid his face in his arms, his form shaking slightly as he cried. In seconds Aizawa was sitting next to him and wrapping his arms around his ward in a hug._

 _"It's not your fault," he repeated softly. After a dozen iterations Izuku's sobs began to lessen. "I'm here for you, okay?"_

 _"I know, but will you always be? You won't leave me if I become too much?"_

 _Aizawa could feel a flare of anger deep in his gut, not towards the boy but the woman who did this to him, and he squashed it down so he could get out the words:_

 _"I will always be here for you, Izuku. I promise."_

Aizawa cared about him a lot more than he'd ever anticipated his teacher feeling. When he'd been given a key to the apartment as his birthday gift he'd been completely taken off guard, but that hadn't stopped him from tackling the underground hero in a hug lit up by the white and green lightning of his quirk.

Of course All Might was a huge part in his life as well. The retired hero continued to train him in utilizing One For All to his fullest potential while also awkwardly spoiling him every which way like a father who wanted to give him the world.

That was when Aizawa stepped in like a mother who caught her husband doing something she'd told him not to do.

 _"Stop taking him out for food, Toshinori. If he has ice cream one more time this week I will personally ban you from seeing him until the end of the month."_

 _"But I'm his teacher! You can't—"_

 _Aizawa's quirk flared up. "Oh yes I can. I am his guardian, and I'll be damned if you keep throwing gifts and treats at him as a means to ease your own guilt."_

 _"I'm not guilty."_

 _"Don't lie to me. Both of you are still blaming yourselves, and nothing pisses me off more than seeing the two of you doing that. Take some time to think about how neither of you could have changed anything and try to get past this. Please. It hurts to see the kid blame himself, and having you do the same won't help him get better. Not that he'll ever fully forgive himself," the teacher sighed tiredly. Heroes often blamed themselves for situations outside of their control. There was no way he was going to stop either Izuku or All Might from feeling some sort of guilt over Inko's abandonment._

 _Still, he could try to beat it into their hard heads again and again._

Despite their differences in "parenting" as one could call it, Izuku had grown to care for both of them deeply. They were both his family. Everyone was protective of everyone, and that definitely didn't change when it grew by one number.

Ever since rescuing Eri from Chisaki the greenette had been particularly protective of the little girl. Aizawa even more so. Shortly after the Cultural Festival the police along with U.A. had deemed the school best fit to watch over her, "pro hero Eraserhead" being the one to look after her on account of his quirk-cancelling quirk. Nobody wanted her to lose control of her quirk again; not at the expense of those around her, and especially not when it endangered her own well-being.

So Izuku gained a younger sibling of sorts. At first it had felt odd, the prospect of having Aizawa be the technical guardian of both of them making him feel strangely worried for his teacher, but the feeling quickly faded when he realized how Aizawa neither did something he didn't want to do nor took on something he couldn't very well handle.

Of course he didn't mind sharing Aizawa's guardianship with Eri. In fact, he quite enjoyed her presence when the trio took a Sunday or break to stay at the teacher's apartment. There was always the delighted screams of a girl playing with the man's cats, or the smell of melted caramel and fresh apples filling the air. Sometimes the three of them watched mindless cartoons. Sometimes they watched animated movies (Aizawa's favorite being the Aristocats). Other times either Izuku or Aizawa read aloud to her, or on occasion she would read to the both of them. Mirio's lessons to catch her up with the lack of education she'd had the last couple of years were going phenomenally after all. She was so eager to learn, most likely unconsciously copying the trait from Izuku.

Honestly, she took after Izuku as if they were related.

 _"Eri-chan!" Uraraka shouted as the girl collapsed at the older teenager's bedside. The horn on the younger girl's head began to shrink, but the deed had already been done. The nerve-damaging burns that had afflicted Uraraka after a nasty run in with a member of the League of Villains were gone._

 _Izuku rushed into the room seconds later, the previously broken leg he'd suffered miraculously nonexistent._

 _"Uraraka-chan, have you seen—" he started before his eyes landed on the silver-haired figure slumped over the older one's legs. "Oh no. I woke up to my leg healed so I knew she was involved, but after the talk Aizawa had with her about overexerting her quirk I'd hoped…"_

 _The brunette sighed, eyes swiveling over to Izuku accusingly. Said boy winced at the hard look she was giving him. "Deku-kun, your self-sacrificing tendencies are a bad influence on Eri-chan!"_

 _"Y-you can't entirely blame me! She takes after Aizawa too!"_

 _"I don't even want to talk about her 'Otosan' impression right now. That smile," she blanched, "is terrifying. What I do want to talk about is you showing Eri-chan it is okay to hurt herself as long as it's for the sake of others. That is not a good habit for a young girl her age to be doing!"_

 _Izuku gaped helplessly. "Hey, I haven't injured myself to help someone else in a long time!"_

 _"Want to tell me how you broke your leg yesterday?"_

 _"N-not the point! I was doing well before the League moved again and tried to destroy the school. Anyway, I've grown into my quirk and have had it beaten into my head time and time again by Aizawa and All Might to take better care of myself. I can't help it if she gets ideas from watching her heroes."_

 _Silence settled upon the room for a short time. It was moments before either student spoke again, both of their gazes resting on the girl passed out at Uraraka's side. She'd really exerted herself rewinding their bodies back to times before the fight just a day before. Part of them wished for her sake that she'd not been allowed to visit them; after figuring out her quirk some several months back she'd become increasingly more interested in heroics._

 _It hadn't helped that after she'd practiced enough to get Mirio his quirk back the "rising hero Lemillion" offered her the first spot in his future hero agency. They had taken to coming up with potential hero names too, all of which Aizawa vetoed strongly because "it was far too early for that". As if Izuku and All Might hadn't given her enough ideas. The two reckless heroes had given the girl great ideas for applying her quirk to heroics. So great, in fact, that she couldn't wait to train her quirk to the point of her either losing control or passing out._

 _He did have to admit she'd improved though. Going from not being able to control her quirk at all, from fearing herself for her power (or curse as it was referred), to realizing it was her strength as well as a means to help those in need was an amazing confidence boost. Everyone saw the change in her. Gone was the scared girl who Izuku met in an alleyway. In her place was a hero who smiled brightly despite the darkness in the world, someone who wished to help people as they had helped her._

In other words, she admired her own personal heroes such as Aizawa, Mirio, Izuku, Uraraka, Tsuyu, Kirishima, Nejire, Tamaki, and so on like becoming strong like them was her goal. Mirio and Izuku were like the brothers she never knew she'd wanted, and taking after Izuku calling Aizawa "Otosan" was common in their household. Uraraka and Tsuyu were the big sisters, Nejire was the fun yet immensely caring aunt, and Tamaki and Kirishima were like uncles.

Although, when Izuku and Uraraka were together Eri did feel a strong fatherly and motherly vibe come from them.

 _"Want to get ice cream, Eri-chan?" Uraraka asked with a grin as they exited the park. One of her hands was in Eri's while the other little girl's hand held Izuku's. Occasionally Uraraka would activate her quirk and the two would lift Eri into the air, causing her to grin joyously at the feeling of flying._

 _She nodded, silver hair blowing around in the soft wind._

 _"Yes, please! Do they have green apple flavor where we're going?"_

 _"They do," Izuku answered with a small laugh._

 _The young girl's eyes shined in excitement. Izuku and Uraraka always knew what to say to make her happy._

 _However, as the two lightly swung her into the air once more, Eri's eyes caught sight of something that made her hurriedly asked to be put down._

 _"Eri-chan?" The greenette worried. "What's wrong?"_

 _"Over there!" She pointed towards an area off the path out of the park, one with several trees and bushes. Before either of the U.A. students could stop her she was running over. Izuku immediately caught up with her, not even utilizing Full Cowling to do so. Uraraka did the same._

 _They quickly noticed what she'd seen, and their hearts ached. On the ground lying on its side was a rabbit. It appeared to be breathing funny, its body spasming for some unknown reason. There were no visible injuries on it though from what the U.A. students could see._

 _"Something is wrong with it," Eri frowned, crocodile tears forming in her eyes. She turned to Izuku and Uraraka with a pleading expression. "Can I Rewind it, please? It's dying."_

 _"Eri-chan, you know how much using your quirk takes its toll on you."_

 _"But Ura-chan this is different! It's just a bunny this time. I won't pass out like I did last time when I healed you and Deku-nii."_

 _Izuku looked at Uraraka guiltily. He knew they were going to give in._

 _"Fine," Izuku stated for the both of them, "but if you feel any resistance or pain you have to stop. Okay?"_

 _"Okay."_

 _The girl knelt next to the bunny while worrying her lip; her eyes, though, were determined. When she rested her hands on the bunny's side her quirk reacted instantly._

 _In an instant the bunny was springing out of her reach, looking like it was half the size it had been before. She'd probably rewound it a bit too far back. Chances were she'd fixed the problem, but it was at least a couple weeks younger than it'd been._

Oh well, _Izuku thought to himself as Uraraka congratulated Eri on the successful use of her quirk,_ at least it can take care of itself again. And Eri-chan's happy.

 _"Good job," Izuku agreed with Uraraka. "Now we really have a reason to get ice cream, don't we? To celebrate how about we have them put caramel on top of your choice too?"_

 _"Like… caramel apple ice cream?"_

 _Izuku had to hand it to Uraraka for switching ice cream with the girl when they realized putting caramel on top of "sour" green apple ice cream was not as appealing as they thought it would be. She ate the entire cup with a smile while Eri ate the older girl's chocolate._

 _"You could have taken my vanilla," the greenette whispered to the brunette as Eri walked ahead of them happily._

 _"Nope! It's honestly not too bad, just a bit too sour. But next time you owe me two scoops of chocolate with chocolate syrup and brownie bites and…"_

 _He laughed, causing Eri to glance back at them with a peculiar expression on her face._

Otosan was right, _she thought innocently._ Deku-nii does like Ura-chan.

 _She couldn't help but be happy at that. Uraraka was like a big sister to her, and from the way she made Izuku smile Eri couldn't be too upset about the prospect of sharing._

More often than not though, Izuku was more like Iida, a brother and knight in shining armor to her.

When she had nightmares she would go to him as to not wake Aizawa.

 _"He needs to sleep more," she'd expressed when Izuku had asked why she always came to him. "Not that your sleep isn't important, but he barely ever rests as it is. He'll have those eye bag thingies forever if I wake him up."_

 _Izuku drew the panicked girl into a hug, running a hand through her hair soothingly._

 _"Shh," he comforted, "I understand. Otosan works very hard. He teaches during the day, runs security overnight, and even does hero work too. You're not bothering me at all by coming to me instead. Okay, Eri-chan? You can always come to me."_

 _The little girl hiccuped in his chest. After a couple seconds she pulled away from him, using one arm to wipe her eyes as she prepared to speak._

 _"Deku-nii?"_

 _"Yes?"_

 _"Can I… can I ask you something about your mommy?"_

 _Emerald eyes softened despite the sadness that entered them._

 _"Of course."_

 _"You told me when Otosan first took me in that she left. I… I know why my parents left me. Otosan didn't want me to know, but he wouldn't lie to me. I," she looked so sad as she continued, "I'm the reason my daddy's gone."_

 _Izuku winced. He'd remembered being told her quirk had rewound him to a state from before he'd been born._

 _"And my mommy gave me away because she was scared of me and my quirk. Did… did your mommy leave you for the same reason too?"_

 _Instead of answering Izuku appeared thoughtful._

 _"Why—what made you want to ask that?"_

 _"Because when I asked Otosan he looked angry and told me if I wanted to know I had to ask you."_

 _"Why did you ask Otosan?"_

 _"I just… I wanted to know how your mommy could have left someone as amazing as you. My mommy thought I was cursed. I… I killed the one she loved most on accident. But you, you're a hero!"_

 _The greenette couldn't help the wobbly smile that split his face even as a couple stray tears escaped his eyes._

 _Pulling Eri into a hug, Izuku told her the story. He told her how much he loved his mother. He told her how despite her not realizing all he'd wanted was her support growing up their relationship had been close since it was just the two of them. He told her how much it had hurt his mother when he came home hurt from bullies at school, not to mention how upset and worried she became when he started hero training at U.A. He told her how he'd kept breaking his mother's heart every time he injured himself at school, how his recklessness and concern for others finally caused his mother to shatter. He told her that no matter how Aizawa tried to argue with him about it, that it was his fault she'd left him._

 _"Deku-nii?"_

 _"Yes, Eri-chan?"_

 _"I think I agree with Otosan on this one," she admitted shyly. "You didn't make her leave."_

 _A small hand grabbed his fingers and squeezed. It made Izuku's heart throb with emotion._

 _Maybe he wouldn't stop blaming himself, but hearing Eri's faith in him helped ease the guilt somewhat._

 _"Thank you."_

Their bond was solid, born from the gentle kindness and empathy they both encompassed. This made it all the more distressing when their roles were reversed.

Especially when, for instance, Izuku was the one that needed help.

* * *

Eri didn't understand what was going on. Not at first, anyway. One moment everyone from class 1-A and their families were leaving the main building where the graduation ceremony had taken place in favor of going to the dormitory where the celebration would take place, another moment several students had stopped in their tracks. The absolutely livid look that appeared on Aizawa's face and the sadness coming from Izuku made her worried though.

 _Today is supposed to be Deku-nii's big day._ The girl thought to herself worriedly as she tried to figure out what or who they were looking at. _He's not supposed to be sad. He should be happy._

His class had finally graduated from U.A. after all. Three amazing years had brought him among the top seven of the third years too, which was no easy feat with the amount of competition. He was third only to Yaoyorozu and Bakugo, Todoroki following with fourth although Iida, Tsuyu, and Kendo were among those that tied for the highest honors. It was the seven of them that gave speeches as the top of their year representatives. Their respective teachers couldn't have been prouder, Aizawa constantly having to stop himself from smiling like a fool during his ward's heartfelt speech.

So why then was the appearance of one green-haired woman enough to tear their happiness to shreds.

 _Green hair?_ Eri tilted her head in confusion. _Deku-nii's mommy is who is making everyone look sick?_

The girl's heart sank. This was the same woman that abandoned her hero. The reason Izuku woke up everyone now and then it tears, blaming himself for something he couldn't stop.

She suddenly understood why Aizawa was furious.

Izuku's green eyes teared up, the shock of her sudden appearance finally fading so that he could form words.

"M-mom? What are you doing here?"

"I'd like to know the same thing," Aizawa stated coldly. The teacher looked like someone had kicked his cat. Even All Might, Present Mic, and Midnight appearing at his side didn't ward off the shear hostility radiating from the man.

Inko wrung her hands out, eyes turning towards the ground in remorse.

"I… I couldn't miss your special day, Izuku."

Aizawa scoffed. "Excuse me," he attempted to sound impassive, "but what right do you have to be on U.A. property? You were taken off the guest list years ago when you relinquished custody on Izuku."

The woman's frown became more pronounced. "I understand that. I left, and that leaves the school as his legal guardian, but I needed to be here." She took a deep breath before looking up at her son earnestly, eyes wide and worried but the smile on her face nervous yet hopeful. "I just wanted to see my baby. Izuku, you've grown so much. You've become—"

 _"Stop."_

Izuku whipped his head around in shock, the one word holding so much loathing it made the younger greenette's heart ache knowing it was directed at his mother.

"You do not just get to walk back into his life after leaving him like you did." The teacher began seriously, taking a step forward just to get his colleagues' hands off of him. There would be no holding him back. "You could have been put into jail. You realize this, don't you? He could have ended up having to get transferred out of U.A. to live with relatives he'd never even met. What would you have done if we hadn't had a loophole to keep him here so he could follow his dream?"

"I-I don't…"

"What? You don't know? I'm betting you don't know a lot of things after being gone for over two and a half years."

"Shota," Present Mic gripped his arm pleadingly. "Please try not to get too riled up. Your students and Eri-chan are watching. Midoriya is watching."

From the sidelines a couple of class 1-A students kept an ear on the situation. Bakugo and his parents paid particular attention, the elder Bakugos wanting to have words with the woman as soon as Aizawa and Izuku were done with her. Izuku wasn't the only one feeling abandoned by the act of her cutting off any means of communication. Mitsuki was also a lot more vocal about her pain.

Just as Aizawa was going to walk away, not wanting to be the one to get between Izuku and his mother, Eri walked right up to Inko. Her silver hair swayed over her shoulders as she came to a stop directly in front of the woman.

"You're Deku-nii's mommy?" She asked.

The elder greenette blinked in surprise.

"Um, yes, sweetheart. And who would you be?"

"I'm Eri. Your son saved me," she wasted no time saying. "He's going to be the best hero ever."

"I don't doubt that." A somber look entered Inko's eyes. "He was always a sweet, brave boy. I'm so happy he—"

"You made him sad."

The smile fell off Inko's face. From the sidelines Uraraka and Kirishima were tearing up, and even Bakugo seemed to be fighting off some unwanted emotion. Izuku simply watched in silence, his throat having closed off with emotion some time ago. He wouldn't know what to say even if he could bring himself to speak. He also wanted to know what Eri had to say, the girl not always voicing what was on her mind until something drove her to do so.

"He misses you every day," the girl continued. "He loves you so much that even when he makes Katsudon for Otosan and I we can tell he wishes you were there to eat it with him too. He works very hard to fight without harming himself, because every time he does get hurt he fears we will get angry and leave. Like you did."

"I didn't mean to—"

"Bullshit!" Aizawa interrupted. He couldn't listen to her lies. They sounded so much like his own father's after that deadbeat tried to reenter his life. That had been long ago, but Aizawa couldn't forget the anger he'd felt when his dad tried to praise him for his "interesting nullification quirk". No, her pleas of wanting to see Izuku again were identical to those Aizawa's father came up with when found out his son wasn't as quirkless as he'd once believed. "You knew exactly what you were doing when you walked out that door. You knew how it would leave him, but did you care enough to stay? No. There is no reason you could give us to justify what you did."

He was about to continue when Izuku grabbed his hand. The teacher's eyes met green, and immediately his rage simmered down. He couldn't stay angry when he was watching Izuku cry. As much as he hated those tears he knew anger did no good to stop them.

"Eri-chan," the greenette called softly. "I'm okay."

Said girl raced back to his and Aizawa's sides after a quick look back at his mother. She was fiercely protective of her hero, and while Izuku said he was okay she knew he might be lying. Everyone lied about being okay. Even heroes.

Slowly, Izuku met his mother's eyes. After a deep breath he managed to speak through his anguish.

"Mom, thank you for coming today."

She looked relieved. It only lasted for a second though, because the following sentence had her relief shattering.

"But I think you should go."

"What?" Had she heard him right? "Izuku, sweetie?"

"Please don't make this any harder than it already is," he begged with a watery smile. "Back when you left you said you'd find me when you were ready, right? You said you left because you needed time to get away. Well, mom, you might be ready to face me again, but I'm not ready to face you yet. Perhaps if you keep in contact with Bakugo-san I can go to her when I'm ready to see you again. Right now though? My friends are waiting to celebrate becoming heroes with me. I… I need to go."

He turned around, one hand finding Eri's smaller one. In an instant he took it and gripped it gently like a small warm lifeline.

"Goodbye, mom."

And like that, he and Eri walked towards the dormitory with his classmates following in their footsteps. Today was a day to celebrate. They were all full-fledged heroes now, after all.

A small smile slipped onto Izuku's face despite the ache in his chest.

All Might often smiled to hide the fear he felt during a fight. Sometimes, Izuku smiled to remind himself that everything would be okay.


	20. Izuku is trans (1)

AN: Twentieth chapter: trans!Izuku. I will be writing a second part that takes place directly after this chapter (I think), or at least some sort of follow up to this. Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

No one found it odd that he wore a skin-tight, tank-top-like wrap around his midriff. For that Izuku was thankful.

"I've got some scars on my back from an accident," Izuku lied smoothly when Kaminari questioned him about it once in the boy's locker room. He didn't enjoy lying, but at that point in time he wasn't comfortable spilling his secrets to his new classmates. "I keep them covered this way because they're pretty gruesome. Honestly it feels weird to not be wearing something to cover them up after all these years. Is that weird?"

"Great job making him feel awkward," Sero joked while elbowing the blond in his ribs.

"Dude I'm so sorry to hear that!" Kaminari quickly apologized. "The accident part, I mean. It's really no big deal; I was just curious is all. I didn't mean to be nosy."

The greenette laughed. "You're not nosy, Kaminari-kun. There's no need to apologize for asking questions."

From the other side of the locker room Izuku caught Bakugo's eyes. Their rocky past aside it seemed like the blond's lips were sealed about the true reason for the wrap, which hid a binder underneath.

After all, Izuku Midoriya hadn't always been comfortable in his own body like he was now. Not at all. No, before he knew what binding and T-shots were, long before he realized skirts and dresses made his skin itch, Izuku Midoriya yearned for the tenor his voice was at now and the muscles that replaced the fat that collected over certain pockets of his body. If one looked at him closely they would notice his hips were slightly wider than a usual boy's. If one looked at him they might just notice his lashes were a bit feminine. Neither of those observations would help one come to the conclusion that Izuku Midoriya wasn't a male by birth alone though.

This Izuku was grateful for. This meant that only his mother and a small number of acquaintances from preschool and elementary knew the truth. Of course Bakugo and his parents knew too, but after only seeing him as "Deku" all these years the whole transgender thing didn't faze his childhood friend and rival. Bakugo couldn't care less if who he was fighting was a boy or girl or something else completely.

"Your voice is getting deeper," he'd commented one afternoon during their middle school days.

Their mothers had met at the park to chat, sending their sons off with money to buy ice cream from the local vendor. While it was a little strange for Izuku to be hanging out with Bakugo after just having been beat up by him the day prior he knew better than to not take advantage of their shared truce. Neither of them wanted to ruin their mother's friendship.

Izuku grinned sheepishly, a hand running through his hair shyly.

"Is it really? I thought my mom was just saying that to be nice. I'm glad you think so though; that means the shots are working."

"You mean testosterone shots, right?"

"Yeah."

"Huh. I guess that means you'll be able to gain more muscle mass too? And you'll get hairier?"

He nodded. "I should. My cycles should stop soon too, which is something I can't wait for." Part of Izuku wondered if Bakugo would be grossed out by that information, but it appeared the blond didn't care. "I've also been wearing binders. They're pieces of fabric designed to—"

"I know what they are, dumbass. I could tell you've been wearing them for weeks now." Bakugo cut him off before literally biting a chuck of his ice cream off of the cone. It made Izuku shiver just seeing it. "I did some research on them after I realized you were wearing them. You've been making sure to take them off after school and at night, right?"

"Of course! If I didn't it could lead to breathing problems. Honestly though the ones I bought aren't that tight. I wanted ones I could wear while working out, and, well, I'm not that in need of a binder anyway." Puberty had blessedly spared him from needing anything other than a sports bra. "It's just more of a precaution for the future," he went on. "I need to get used to wearing them during intense exercise or training. If I get into U.A., then—"

"Seriously, Deku? Again with the hero crap," Bakugo shook his head sadly before changing the subject. "Whatever. I heard the old hag talking to my dad about binders in general. Apparently, after talking to Auntie Inko, she wants to add some of her own designs to her line next year since the fashion industries have so little options when it comes to them. She's thinking they'll be a huge hit since no industry has tried to expand on them before."

"Really? That's amazing!"

He scoffed, but his red eyes held some mirth. "I guess so. She was saying something about you testing them out or whatever, that way she could give you a bunch for free without pissing off her colleagues for giving out the merchandise."

The greenette felt like crying. Bakugo must have notice this, because he rolled his eyes.

"Don't start the waterworks, Deku, or I'll tell her you're not interested."

"But Kacchan!"

"Shut up and eat your ice cream, damn you. I'm trying to enjoy the nice weather."

And like that Izuku was still Izuku. As the sludge villain incident came and went, All Might offered to train Izuku in order to inherit his quirk. Soon after, he made it into U.A. with some difficulty, followed by encountering villains for the first time at the USJ. Then there was the Sports Festival, closely followed by the Stain Incident, which was concluded with end of the semester exams where Bakugo and he actually managed to beat All Might to pass. All of this came and went without trouble. Izuku was still Izuku, and no one save for a tight-lipped Principal Nedzu and Recovery Girl was any the wiser. Not his classmates, not his homeroom teacher, and especially not All Might.

Until the summer training camp trip approached…

* * *

"Hello, Kota-kun. My name is Izuku Midoriya. It's nice to meet you!"

The answering punch to his pelvic region was _not_ appreciated. Sure it didn't hurt as badly as it would have if he really was a male by birth, but it still surprised him enough to cry out in pain.

"Stupid wannabe heroes…" The young boy muttered as he walked away, his aunt calling after him to apologize to Izuku. Honestly though the greenette wasn't too worried about getting an apology. He was more worried about changing his binder, which was now biting into his chest painfully. Not only was it soaked with sweat like the rest of him, making it even more uncomfortable, but after that intense training exercise he was starting to feel lightheaded. Part of him wished he'd anticipated the surprise work out after having Aizawa as a teacher for a couple months. Maybe then he wouldn't have pushed himself too far in a slightly too tight binder.

A harsh shove to his back brought him back to reality, Bakugo's muttered warning to "get himself together" a reminder that things were still going on around him. What had the pussycats shouted? Something about dinner?

"Midoriya, are you okay?" Iida grabbed him by the shoulders dramatically. "That boy punched you square in the scrotum!"

Izuku winced. His friend couldn't have been more wrong.

"I'm fine, Iida-kun. Really."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but you appear to be more pale than normal. Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm just as tired as you are after battling all those beasts," Izuku assured with a smile. "I'll feel better after getting something to eat and drink I'm sure. How about you and Uraraka get a table and I'll meet the both of you after I make a quick trip to the bathroom? I've been needing to go for hours."

Iida nodded resolutely, turning around to direct the straggling members of the class to the nearest picnic tables. The class president then made his way to where Uraraka was already ravenously eating.

Sighing, Izuku headed towards the building he'd seen Mineta sprint to upon exiting the forest. There would be a bathroom in there for sure.

Minutes later he was slipping into the men's bathroom, having collected his bag from where they were all unceremoniously thrown into the living room sometime prior. He was thankful to find it empty save for him. After walking into the biggest stall at the end of the line he locked the door and set to work.

 _I really wish I had time to take a shower,_ he thought as he peeled off his shirt. Carefully taking off the formfitting tank-top like garment which covered his strapless binder, he placed the discarded sweaty thing into a plastic bag as to not get the rest of his clothes dirty or smelly. Then he slipped his fingers underneath the fabric chaffing his chest. _I also really wished I packed more than four of these. Maybe I can wash this one later tonight in the sink really quick, and set it somewhere outside in the woods to dry? No one would accidentally find it then._

Mind racing to figure out how he was going to be able to make in through the week, he slowly slid the strapless binder down himself until he could step out of it. His lungs cried out in relief now that he was finally able to get a generous amount of oxygen. Not that he was usually this reckless when it came to binding, but if every day of training was going to be like what they'd experienced in the woods then he would need to account for that.

Getting another binder and tank-top of sorts out of his bag, Izuku hurriedly changed into them before putting his original shirt back on. He didn't want to change it in fear his classmates would find it strange.

 _Now off to dinner!_

Sometime later Izuku was cursing his luck.

First, they were told they would be sleeping together by gender. That meant Izuku would need to be stealthy when getting into bed unbound as to not draw attention. He knew he couldn't sleep with his binder on unless he wanted to regret it later, so he would just have to be sneaky. Good thing he always packed an over-sized sweatshirt in cases of emergency.

Secondly…

"You're still not going to take that off?" Kirishima asked as they made their way to the male side of the hot springs.

Truth be told Izuku was trying to avert his eyes from his classmates' lower regions. Unlike most of his other classmates a few of them were too "manly" to wear towels.

The greenette shook his head.

"My scars are sensitive to hot water anyway. It's better if I wear it."

"Okay dude, whatever you say. Hey, Bakugo!" The redhead ran off to visit with his friend, leaving Izuku to quietly slip into the hot springs beside a close-eyed Todoroki.

Izuku closed his own eyes almost immediately. Earlier he had been afraid of going into the hot springs due to the possibility of someone discovering what he wasn't hiding between his legs. Then he'd freaked out a bit worrying over if opting out of going into the hot springs would risk his secret even more. Finally he'd decided to just join everyone else, the other nineteen students having already gone to get undressed. Izuku spent a little extra time making sure his towel was more a secure skirt only to realize that was what most of his classmates were doing the same. This made him feel a little better.

Either way, soaking in the scalding hot water did wonders for his nerves. He could hear Kaminari splashing Ojiro in the water nearby, Iida scolding Sero for wrestling around in the water with Kirishima and getting Koda caught in the crossfire, and the perverted mutterings of Mineta.

Wait, what?

His eyes shot open as he noticed Mineta standing outside the water. The tiny hero in training was staring at the wall that divided them from the female side of the hot springs intently.

Izuku rolled his eyes. "Iida-kun," he stated while wading towards the class representative in the water, "Mineta is up to something again."

"What?" The blue-haired boy locked onto the pervert in question. At this point Mineta was standing directly at the bottom of the wall now. "Mineta, whatever you're about to do I assure you it will have consequences!"

"Oh I'm sure it will," he whispered calmly before suddenly springing at the wall while grabbing the balls from his hair. He used them to climb the wall faster than anyone in the hot springs could stop him. "Boobies here I come!"

Luckily, the girls had Kota.

"Dumb degenerate," the little boy scowled before accidentally turning around at Mina's shout. At the sight of her completely nude along with the other girls in the hot spring he fell backwards and off the side of the wall. The shock of what he'd seen along with the feeling of falling sent him slipping into unconsciousness, leaving him completely unaware of Izuku being the one to catch him just before hitting the ground.

"I'll take Kota-kun to Mandalay," the greenette told Iida while the class representative dragged Mineta to Aizawa. Izuku really wanted to get out of there to avoid the stares of his classmates. Jumping to save Kota in a now loose wet towel had been second nature, but terrifying all the same.

Sadly, it wasn't as terrifying as trying to sleep in a room with thirteen other boys, binder-less.

 _Don't draw attention to your chest,_ he repeated over and over as he walked into the room. He felt like he was acting mechanical as he went to retrieve his sleeping bag, laid it out, and crawled in it despite most of his other classmates still standing around talking about their day of training. _No one should notice anything anyway. There's barely anything there!_

He couldn't help but feel anxious though. He hated being unbound in general, so being surrounded by so many people in such a state was starting to make his skin prickle uncomfortably.

 _Why does it feel like they're staring at me? They obviously aren't. Also, is it hot in here or is it just me?_

"It is rather hot in here, actually."

Izuku nearly screamed at Todoroki's sudden appearance. He also felt mortified that he'd said that last part out loud.

Instead, he feigned calm.

"Oh, Todoroki-kun! I didn't notice you there for a second."

"Yes, you seemed lost in thought. Do you mind if I set up my sleeping bag next to yours?" The dual-haired boy asked. He didn't seem to mind not being acknowledged right away, but he did appear to be extremely sleepy.

"Not at all!"

"Thanks."

And like that Todoroki was out like a light. It was almost comical how quickly he'd fallen asleep, yet Izuku couldn't judge. He was right behind him.

Of course the villains were attacking camp. Bad luck seemed to follow Izuku wherever he went, so why not a secluded camp several miles away from outside help?

 _Kota,_ he pleaded mentally after having convinced Mandalay to let him find her nephew, _please stay safe!_

His prayer seemed to work, because it wasn't until Izuku was in range that the grotesquely muscled villain went to strike the young boy. The greenette was able to use Full Cowling to grab Kota out of the way before the villain's ground shattering punch sent rock flying in every direction.

"Are you okay?" Izuku asked worriedly.

Kota stared at him in awe for a moment, but it quickly faded into terror.

"That monster… he's the one who killed my parents."

He suddenly felt sick.

"What? If that's true, the villain who killed the Water Hose was—"

He turned around to get a better look at the villain, profiling him as Muscular just as the man rocketed towards them. It was all Izuku could do to roll into a dodge in order to prevent Kota from getting hurt. During the roll, however, Izuku felt his shirt shred in several places after dragging against the uneven terrain. The wrap covering his binder also developed a rip, but thankfully it held up its form unlike the hanging fabric that was his T-shirt.

Blood bloomed from a couple scrapes, but Izuku pushed it from his mind.

"Kota," he gritted out while putting the boy down. After turning around and getting back into a fighting stance he continued. "You need to run. Get out of here. I'll hold him off as long as I can."

Crazed laughter interrupted them.

"Nice speech, kid, but no one is getting out of here. Wait a minute, you look familiar." Muscular narrowed his eyes at him before his mouth twisted in glee. "I recognize you now. You were on the list. Midoriya, was it? Do you happen to know where Bakugo is?"

 _Why would the villains be targeting Kacchan?_ He worried, but at the sound of small sniffles at his side he pushed that worry away. Protecting Kota was his first priority.

"Kota, run." Izuku pleaded once more. "He's too fast for me to carry us both to safety. You need to get as far away as possible _now_."

Muscular laughed.

"Not talking, huh? This is going to be fun. Show me your blood, Midoriya!"

What followed Izuku could only describe as painful. Try as he might landing a good hit on Muscular was hard enough at the speed the villain was moving at, yet what was even more hopeless was realizing his few hits had absolutely no affect on the muscled man.

"That's really all you've got? And here I thought you'd be more fun than the average hero. Looks like I was wrong."

Muscular's taunt went with a punch that sent Izuku colliding into the face of the cliff. The impact broke rock, Izuku slumping onto the ground in a half delirious state. His head was throbbing, rocks bit into the skin of his lower back, and his entire body screamed in agony. What was he supposed to do? His regular attacks did nothing, which meant he'd need to up his power output and risk injuring himself again. If he failed though, then he wouldn't be able to stop the villain from hurting Kota.

 _If I don't try then Kota might end up dead anyway,_ he reasoned. _I might end up dead._

Channeling one-hundred percent into his arm while using the usual amount in his legs, he leapt forward with a yell. A second later he looked upon a barely fazed Muscular in horror.

"Whoa, did you get stronger all of a sudden? I actually felt that one. Too bad it busted your arm up. I was starting to get excited, but it looks like you're at the end, kid."

The villain grabbed Izuku by the tattered tank-top, his shirt having long since fallen off, and threw him across the rocky outcrop. As he did so the wrap ripped completely in half. All that remained was the skintight, slightly bloodied fabric binding his chest.

"What's this? Do I see a little girl pretending to be a boy? That's hilarious!" The villain mocked, a sick twisted grin splitting his face after a small bout of surprise. "Shigaraki will get a kick out of this information."

Izuku felt tears well up into his eyes. He'd been strong when the man insulted his strength. He'd been angry when the monster stated his intent to kill Kota. He'd been brave when taking hit after hit in order to get close to the villain. He'd been hopeful when struggling to find a way to beat the bloodthirsty man. The insult to his character though? It stung deeper. Even worse would be his secret being found out by Shigaraki and the other villains, a fresh wave of fear chilling his blood at the thought.

Muscular began walking over to where Izuku fought to stand up.

"I guess this is goodbye, little girl. Too bad you couldn't put up more of a fight."

Just as the villain wound up another rock-smashing punch, a stream of water hit him in the face.

"Leave him alone!" Kota shouted shrilly.

Izuku peered at the small boy worriedly.

"Kota, no. I told you to run."

"I'll kill you in a second, brat." Muscular ignored the water-quirked boy in favor of leering at Izuku. "I gotta finish her off first!"

Rage lit a fire in the greenette's stomach.

"I'm not going to let you hurt Kota!"

"Oh yeah? And how are you gunna stop me? You're nothing but a puny girl who can't even throw a punch!"

"I will protect him," he stated firmly as he finally got to his feet.

Muscular rolled his eyes.

"You sound so sure, little hero. How about I prove you wrong?"

In an instant the villain was rearing back to launch himself at a vulnerable Kota, but Izuku jumped in front of the boy on instinct. He was barely able to get his arm up in time to take the hit as grotesquely ripping muscles made contact with him.

"Looks like you were faster than I thought," the man admitted even as the sounds of bones snapping rung out in the clearing. Izuku bit back a scream as his left arm broke in several places from the force of the punch. "I'm still going to kill both of you though. His parents took my eye, so it'll bring me pleasure to reunite him with them. But because you're so insistent," he said while rearing back for another punch, "I'll kill you first."

"I will not let you past me!"

One For All lit up his right arm once more, his fist colliding with Muscular's. The amount of power coming from their attacks sent Kota flying back somewhat. It was probably for the best because the ground underneath Izuku was slowly breaking apart from the pressure being exerted on it.

 _This is it,_ the greenette thought to himself as Muscular pushed him into the ground. With every passing second it got harder to keep up his quirk. _I'm going to lose. He's going to kill me, and then he's going to kill Kota. I've failed. Sorry, All Might. Sorry, mom._

Blood roared in his ears as he felt rock crumble all around him.

"You've been fun, kid," the villain screamed, "but now it's goodbye!"

 _"Stop it!"_

A stream of water hit Muscular in the face, momentarily blinding him.

Izuku's heart skipped at the sound of Kota's cry, part of him dismayed that the boy hadn't run away yet and another part amazed that he was using his quirk to attack the very man who had murdered his parents.

With renewed vigor Izuku fired up One For All again, this time pushing past his limits in order to push the villain back somewhat. He was able to stand once again.

"You're getting stronger?" He shouted in confusion, one eye blinking in order to see the hero only to be forced shut again when another stream of water hit him in the face making him growl in rage. "Stupid brat, I'll kill you later, okay? Just let me finish off—"

"You won't be laying a hand on him!"

At his shout Izuku brought back his broken left arm and fired up a one-hundred percent punch. It struck the villain in the side of his face, sending him flying into the rocky outcrop just behind him. The force of the landing caused large cracks in the structure to form, sending large and small debris covering him entirely. Not that it mattered though, because the punch to the head had been enough to knock him out cold for a while.

Breathing heavily, Izuku fell to his knees before blearily looking around for Kota.

"Kota-kun, are you alright?"

As if in the distance the greenette heard small feet making his way towards him.

"You idiot! You're asking me if I'm okay when your arms are like that?"

Izuku smiled grimly.

"I still have my legs. Here," he leaned forward and lowered his shoulders, "wrap your hands around my neck. I want to get you to camp or one of the teachers as soon as possible. After that I need to ask Mandalay to relay a message for me."

"Midoriya, what the hell happened to your arms?"

Izuku ignored his teacher's words and instead handed Kota off to him. He quickly spit out that Muscular had attacked Kota, the only way to beat him by using his quirk past his body's limits. After a series of rushed sentences he told Aizawa he needed to tell Mandalay to pass along a warning that Bakugo was a target. He was just about to run off when his teacher had enough.

 _"Midoriya."_

He flinched at the severe tone being used.

"Yes, sensei?"

"You are in no condition to fight."

"I'm not going to fight. I just need to pass Mandalay a message."

"You promise that's all you'll do? You'll head straight back to camp when you're done."

"Yes!"

Aizawa stared into his student's eyes for a moment before heaving a great sigh.

"Fine. But before you go," he started before walking over to Izuku. The greenette tensed instinctively, yet was surprised when his teacher unwound a large amount of capture tape from his scarf. "Can I?" He gestured to what remained of his binder, which honestly was just enough to pass as a holey tube top.

"I…" Izuku couldn't find the words, so he nodded. Aizawa then carefully used a decent amount of his capture tape to wrap around his chest and midriff. When he was done he tied it off to what Izuku said was tight enough, whispering him a message of his own to tell Mandalay.

"I'll tell her. And sensei, about me being, um…"

"A boy?"

"I meant transgender, actually, but—"

"There's no need to worry about it. I'm regretful you couldn't tell me on your own before you were put into the position you were. You're still my student, and a problem child at that. Now get going before I send you back to the camp with Kota and take the messages to Mandalay myself."

"Yes, Aizawa-sensei!"


	21. Izuku is trans (2)

AN: Chapter twenty-one: part two of the trans!Izuku "arc". I've had a lot of questions regarding this one-shot, like what happened in the past to lead up to this point and whatnot, and honestly the answer is this: whatever you want to think. A lot of my one+ shots are very open because I only had a specific idea in mind. If you want to assume when he realized he was a guy, how Inko reacted, how they informed U.A. without informing the teachers (laws ex machina), or why he doesn't tell his friends sooner then go for it. I feel like those little details aren't too important in the grand scheme of things- aka this two-shot. To those who want to know why he would keep him being transgender a secret, I sort of hint at something horrible happening in middle school to make him more hesitant to out himself again. In another one-shot I could just as easily write that he did come out to his classmates right away. But that's another spin on things. Really though him being scared/generally not wanting to share that info is something I feel is true in a lot of real life experiences I've heard about/been part of. That being said everyone's experiences are unique, so whether or not you find this the norm or not this should resonate pretty well for _someone_ out there. Someone, not everyone. Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

 _This is bad,_ Izuku thought as he dodged Toga's attacks. The crazed girl slashed her knife at him again and again with a creepy blush on her face.

"You'd be so much cuter if you were covered in blood!"

The greenette tried to roll out of the way once more, but a sudden bout of pain in his arms made him falter. This gave the crazed girl the chance she needed to throw him to the ground. She landed on his chest making him grunt in discomfort. A knife glinted above him as she prepared to stab him in the chest.

"Midoriya!"

"Shoji!" He cried out thankfully as the multi-armed hero in training threw the girl off of him. "Be careful, she's fast!"

"And insane."

Izuku took a second to sit up only to bite back a hiss of pain. Not only were his arms screaming, the adrenaline beginning to fade after numbing him for so long, but after Dabi's initial attack the capture tape wrapped around his torso was singed and burnt in several places. He was pretty sure part of the material on his right side had actually burned all the way through to his skin. It felt sticky and wet like it was soaked with blood.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he took one of Shoji's many hands offered to him and allowed himself to be pulled onto the other boy's back.

"We need to get out of here!" Shoji shouted in order to get Todoroki's attention. Said half cold, half hot hero quickly threw up another barrier of ice in order to push Twice back.

"What are you talking about?" Todoroki questioned as Izuku opened his mouth to comment too. "We need to get Bakugo and Tokoyami back."

"Don't worry about that." He showed them the two orbs he'd snatched from the masked villain triumphantly. "I noticed him sliding these things into his pocket while he was getting away. I'm guessing they have to be part of his quirk, and that Bakugo and Tokoyami must be in these."

The other two were impressed.

"We'd better get out of here then." Todoroki voiced before the trio set off in the opposite direction of the villains. Unfortunately, a nomu blocked their path. Just as they turned to avoid it black mist appeared in several places around them.

"It's the warp villain," Izuku acknowledged worriedly.

Kurogiri looked down at everyone in the clearing from where he towered in the air.

"Time's up everyone. We must take our leave."

"Aw man," Toga whined. "I wanted to play with Izuku some more! I guess I'll just stab you later~" She sang happily before walking through a portal. On the other side of the clearing Twice hopped into another portal to wherever the villain's base was.

"Hold up. We're not leaving without Bakugo," Dabi vowed. As he readied himself to fight the U.A. students to collect their target Mr. Compress let out a small laugh.

"Don't worry, Dabi. Those kids were so proud of themselves I couldn't help but let them think they'd succeeded. But look right here." He opened his mouth to reveal two more marbles. At the same time he snapped his fingers, the two marbles Shoji had been holding bursting open to reveal various chunks of ice.

Todoroki cursed. "He tricked us."

Ice filled Izuku's veins. _No,_ he screamed along internally, _we can't let them get away!_

The trio ran forwards once more, a last ditch effort to save their friends. Mr. Compress continued to gloat.

"It seems my simple trick of redirection worked. How wonderful! For us, that is." He slipped his mask on once more before bowing. "And now the curtain fa—"

A burst of sparkling light broke through the underbrush at that moment. Just as Mr. Compress began walking backwards into the portal in a bow, a laser courtesy of class 1-A's very own Aoyama hit the villain square in the face, making him spit out the orbs containing their captives.

 _Now's our chance!_

Noticing Shoji reaching out to grab the orb on their left, Izuku used the last of his strength and activated Full Cowling in just his legs. With the added power he was able to lunge forward off of his friend's back and grab the second orb.

"I don't think so, kid."

The scarred villain suddenly let out a torrent of flames at Izuku, the immense heat of those vibrant blue flames making him scream. After all the fighting he'd done today he couldn't stop the attack from overwhelming him. As momentum carried him downward it was all he could do but drop the orb as he fell unconscious. Taking this as his moment of triumph, Dabi reached out to grab the orb only for Todoroki to use his ice to slide it into his waiting palm.

"You're not taking our friends," the dual-quirk user stated vehemently.

"Perhaps not those kids in the orbs," he began regretfully before reaching forwards and grabbing the arm of a very much unresponsive Izuku. "But I refuse to go home empty handed. Shigaraki will be happy to be handed one of the kids on his kill list. Say goodbye to your friend, poor little Shoto Todoroki."

"No!"

Before Todoroki could stop him, Dabi pulled the greenette into the warp gate with ease. Mr. Compress followed with an annoyed glare. The instant the three went through the gate the mist disappeared, the villain's quirk deactivating at the same time. Tokoyami popped out of the orb Shoji had been holding and Bakugo appeared next to an absolutely downtrodden looking Todoroki.

"Where did the bastards who tried to kidnap me go?" The blond shouted angrily. When he noticed the look on Todoroki and Shoji's faces he narrowed his eyes. "What's going on? Why do you two look like someone died?"

"Bakugo," Todoroki started with clenched teeth. "The villains just took Midoriya. Unlike you, we weren't a target to be captured. Midoriya and I, we were on their so-called priority kill list. _They're going to kill him._ "

* * *

When Izuku came to, there were several things he noticed right away that were _wrong._

For starters, he was in a bar surrounded by villains. Sitting at the bar's counter was Shigaraki, who seemed to be brooding. The rest of those from the attack on the camp were all there staring at him with interest. All he could do was stare back at them though, because he was chained to a chair in the middle of the room. He might be able to use his quirk to break free from said chains; however, he doubted he could escape with this many villains around. And with his arms in as bad of shape as they were he would probably just injure himself further.

Secondly, Izuku felt that his wounds were taken care of. Sure his arms were still screaming in pain, but they were wrapped and splinted. The wound over his eye, the one on his cheek, and the burns along his side were also bandaged. Why would they bother to treat his wounds if they were planning to kill him anyway? It would have been better to let them fester.

Third, someone had changed his clothes. This was more distressing than having his injuries treated, especially because whoever changed him definitely saw him naked. This led to the last thing that he noticed.

He was wearing a girl's high school uniform, skirt and all.

 _My binder is gone. Actually, everything I had on me is gone. Except for my shoes._

"Izuku, you're awake! Finally!"

 _Finally? How long was I out?_

Izuku flinched at Toga's sudden scream, the girl having raced down from the stool she'd been perched on in order to hug him around the shoulders.

"Do you like the uniform? I had a ton of spares and what do you know we're the same size! Oh I'm so excited— you've been passed out for like two days. I was so worried I'd need to stab you to wake you up!"

 _I've been unconscious and with the villains for two days? What happened to my classmates? Are they alright?_

He blinked in a mix of surprise and confusion, trying to squash the wave of unease that wept over him at the information he was receiving. "Uh, thanks. Did you put it on me then?"

She rolled her eyes like it was obvious. "Duh! Kurogiri cleaned your wounds and blah, but there was no way he was going to dress you after realizing you are a girl! For a minute there Dabi was going to dress you, because apparently he didn't trust me not to stab you, but everyone else vetoed that. Anyway, we match now! We're going to be total besties, Izuku!"

Ignoring the psychopath, Izuku looked past her.

"Shigaraki," he braced himself for some sort of negative reaction, "why are you targeting my friend?"

The hand-covered villain sighed before standing up. "Bakugo? Like I'd tell you. It doesn't matter right now anyway, because these idiots managed to lose him." His tone dripped with annoyance. "That being said, they did manage to bring me _you_. I was going to kill you upon arrival."

When Shigaraki didn't elaborate, appearing to be lost in thought, the greenette opened his mouth.

"Why didn't you?"

Red eyes narrowed behind the hand covering his face. "Master has other plans for you before that."

 _"Indeed I do, Young Izuku Midoriya,"_ came a voice through the television hung up on the wall. Izuku hadn't even realized it was on, let alone someone was listening in on them through it. The malignant aura of this so-called "Master" managed to cross through the television though. It made it seem obvious that things were going according to plan on his part, and that he was pleased with what was to come. This made Izuku even more worried about what those plans for him were.

"Until then, though," Shigaraki continued as he walked over to where Izuku was sitting captive, the television's connection to his master cutting out at the same time, "I have a couple questions. My efforts in attacking the camp were far more effective in inciting the media than the attack on Hosu, right? Definitely front-page worthy this time around?"

Izuku couldn't believe what he was hearing. Kota and he had almost _died_. He remembered Uraraka bleeding from Toga's strange needle contraption, Shoji having had his arm cut off by the psychopath in the straitjacket, and the Pussycats having been hurt by some of the villains in this room. Not to mention another two villains in the room tried to kidnap his childhood friend for who knows what purpose. And all Shigaraki could think about was the attention it would put on him?

"You're crazy." He spit out finally, emerald eyes blazing in fury. "Why do you even want the attention, anyway? What's the point? It'll just make everything you do harder because you're purposely putting yourself in the limelight."

"Maybe that's what we want," Mr. Compress replied smugly.

"The people need to know that even with Stain behind bars there are those who follow his ideals." Spinner added, Dabi nodding in agreement.

"What does Stain even have to do with the League of Villains?" Shigaraki tensed at this, knowing if Izuku said something to hint to the others that he actually hated Stain's ideals they would be less likely to work with him. "Last time I checked—"

"Shut up, you brat!"

A hand shot out and grabbed Izuku by the throat, cutting him off entirely. Just like in the mall a wave of horror settled over the greenette at the position he'd been put in. The only thing between him and death was a pinky finger and the word of the villain's master.

"You're so annoying," Shigaraki sneered while squeezing his captive's neck harder. Izuku was beginning to have trouble breathing. "Even more so now that I know you're not even a hero, but some stupid little heroine parading around as something you're not. You call me crazy. Why keep your gender a secret, huh? From an outsider's perspective you're a boy. Are you afraid someone might… take advantage of your weakness?"

The leer and grin on his face would have made Izuku gag if he wasn't already struggling for air.

Suddenly the reptilian villain stepped forward, a frown on his face.

"Let her go, Shigaraki. Your master won't be pleased if you damage her too much."

"The master never said anything about not hurting her," the hand-covered villain argued back, but released the grip on Izuku's neck anyway. "But I suppose I did want my question answered. Why is it okay for a hero to lie to the people they're supposed to be protecting?"

"I was never lying! I'm… I'm a boy, not a girl."

Half of the villains stared at him in surprise, while the other half looked unperturbed.

"You do realize how stupid you sound right now, right?" Dabi questioned. He gestured to Izuku theatrically. "You were born a girl whether you like it or not, so hiding the truth doesn't make you any less what you are."

"You have no idea how I feel," Izuku shot back. "I am a boy no matter how you people view me as. No matter what I'm wearing or what organs I have it's just who I am. It feels right. I don't need the opinion of villains to validate who I already know I am. I've dealt with enough assholes in my lifetime," unpleasant memories from middle school sent his stomach churning, "so dealing with a few more won't change anything."

"You're delusional, kid."

"Dude," Magne exclaimed, "what gives? Is that how you feel about me?"

"I thought you just liked dressing up like a woman every once in a while."

"No! If you'd paid attention you would know I'm transgender too, not a transvestite."

"What the hell is that? Are you making words up now?"

"Ugh! I can't believe this. If I didn't have to work with you, Dabi, I'd kill you for being so ignorant."

He rolled his eyes. "I'd burn you to a crisp if you tried."

Toga of all people turned to Dabi next, her lips pushed out in a pout.

"Wow, Dabi-kun, I didn't know your views were so old-fashioned. It's like you don't know a transgender person when you have one tied up in front of you!"

"Or course a psychopath would ally herself with a schizo."

"Hey now, no need to be a dick!" Twice yelled before his other voice added, "He has a point!"

"You are being quite rude, opinions aside," Compress voiced. "And here I thought we would be a group of villains with class. If you have a problem with people because the way they express themselves it doesn't mean you have to attack them with your words."

"Yeah, attack them with knives instead!" Toga exclaimed.

Mr. Compress looked like he wanted nothing more than to argue with that, but at the bright clueless grin on the girl's face he just let it go.

"Not what I was getting at, Toga, but your enthusiasm is appreciated. Anyway, Dabi, I'll have you know when I was in school theater classes were filled with people who expressed themselves differently. Why, it was with one of these people that I even found love. Sure it ended, but it was mutual and a beautiful thing while it lasted. My point is—"

"Nobody wants to hear about some high school love interest, Mr. Compress." Spinner broke in. "And honestly I don't care whether this kid is a guy or a girl. All I care about is that we recognize Stain gave her— him— whatever— his seal of approval. We shouldn't be harming him at all. We should be treating him with respect."

Kurogiri made a sound of disapproval. "Izuku Midoriya is our captive, Spinner. There is no room for respect in this case."

"This is so boring," Toga complained. "Can Izuku and I go back to my room? I want to talk about his friends at U.A.! That Ochaco and Tsu girl especially."

"Would all of you shut up?" Shigaraki shouted, a hand scratching his neck erratically.

In an instant the chatter died down.

"Good. Compress, first things first. Put the brat chair and all in one of your orbs. Kurogiri and I have some stuff to attend to really quick. Don't let him out until we're back, okay?"

"It's Mr. Compress, but yes I will make sure to do as directed."

Izuku tensed as said villain made his way over to him.

"Night-y night, kid."

A moment later, it all went black.

* * *

Everything that happened after was a blur.

Izuku remembered being released from his prison for Shigaraki to show him the news. Apparently he was supposed to be scared because it seemed as if the heroes had no idea where he was and were no closer to finding him. Truth be told, he was a little worried; however, he knew Aizawa wouldn't put what actual information they gathered on air just to placate some reporters. Being scared wouldn't help his case anyway.

"Kamino pizza delivery!"

The villains had about one second to look amongst each other in confusion before the door to the bar burst inwards into a pile of rubble.

In other words, the heroes had arrived.

"All Might!"

"Young Midoriya," he answered just as the other heroes swept themselves inside to detain the villains, "are you alright?"

"Kurogiri!" Shigaraki screeched. "Quickly, get the—"

It was already too late though. Edgeshot had rendered him unconscious. Kamui Woods was right behind him too, using his move Lacquered Chain Prison to render the other villains immobile. Dabi on the other hand found himself knocked unconscious by a kick courtesy of Gran Torino.

"I'm sorry it took so long to find you, Young Midoriya." All Might stated sincerely once all of the villains were dealt with. "I know it must have been scary."

Izuku managed a relieved smile. "I'm fine, All Might. What do I have to fear when you are here?"

"That's right my boy. Now," he turned to the leaden-blue-haired villain staring at him with absolute hatred, "you've lost, Shigaraki."

"Is that what you think?" He seethed, a crazed grin splitting his face.

"It's what we know," Gran Torino countered. "You were trying to get that warp gate of yours to bring those monsters to your aid, right? That's not going to happen."

Shigaraki eyes narrowed. "I don't know how you knew about them, but Kurogiri isn't the only player with a warping ability."

At his words various portals of black liquid manifested in random places around them. The inhuman screams of every nomu resonated in the air, which would have been horrifying enough if not for something even worse happening a moment later.

Izuku's eyes widened as a gush of the black tar-like substance rushed up from his throat. He choked on it much like the villains around him did, the lot of them disappearing all at once.

A moment later the greenette was standing before the very villain All Might had warned him about.

"Izuku Midoriya," All For One droned as Izuku coughed up the strange liquid that had transported him there. "My apologies for the less than pleasant trip here. That quirk isn't very pretty, but it is very functional, not to mention rare. That's exactly why I took it."

The sheer malevolent energy radiating from the villain sent Izuku staggering back. Within a couple steps he found himself tripping over his own feet, falling onto the ground hard only to keep staring at the man in horror. His arms burned from being agitated from the fall, yet Izuku could not fully register the pain. Before him was the man that had murdered seven of the previous One For All holders and nearly killed All Might. He was the man Izuku would have to one day face if he wanted to end his reign of terror once and for all.

All For One began to walk forward.

"You know," he continued to drawl as the other transported members of the League of Villains were deposited on the ground nearby, "you remind me of All Might's mentor. She started out as a foolish U.A. student too. Unfortunately, her dream of being a great hero was what brought about her tragic demise, the poor girl. It pains me that you will only follow in her footsteps. My brother's meddlesome quirk will finally cease to exist."

Izuku almost forgot to breathe.

 _He knows,_ he panicked. _If he kills me One For All will die with me. There's no way I can beat him in my current state, and even running away right now is impossible. What should I do?_

Then the villain looked up, a pleased note in his voice.

"Here he comes."

 _Here who comes?_

The question was answered less than a second later when All Might's fist connected with All For One's arm.

"Unhand my student, All For One!"

"Funny how you think a simple plea will stop me from ending your successor's life."

"You'll have to go through me before you can even lay a finger on him!"

Between the two of them a shock wave sent everyone within the vicinity flying. Izuku managed to find himself a little ways away from the villains. Taking advantage of this, he quickly got to his feet meaning to get off the battlefield.

 _As long as I'm here All Might can't fight at his full strength._ He reasoned as the number one hero fought his arch enemy. _I need to get away._

However, it would have been too easy for him to just be able to run away. Within a couple yards of running a flying knife cut him off, and before he knew it Toga, Twice, Spinner, and Magne were pursuing him.

 _This isn't good,_ he thought as he dodged another one of Toga's blades and attempted to stay out of the other villains' reaches. _With my arms like this I can hardly fight. All I have to utilize are my legs, but if I want to fight them that way I'd need to get closer to them which would be stupid considering how outnumbered I am. I could try to run away regardless, but Twice is so fast that by the time I could outmaneuver him the others would be on me. That and if Magne uses her quirk they'll either get thrown at me or I'll be pulled towards them. There's no good way to get out of here like this! Think, Izuku. There has to be some way…_

A resounding crash caught his attention, the following iceberg that appeared sending both fear and relief coursing through him; relief that it seemed help had arrived, and fear for his friends.

From what he could see Kirishima had used his hardening to shatter the concrete block not too far from him, Iida carrying him while using his quirk to scale the giant slab of ice at incredible speed. How could they be going that fast though? They were far too heavy to be launching into the air that easily, which meant—

"Deku-kun!"

An explosion followed the call, Izuku turning around just in time to catch sight of Uraraka and Bakugo speeding towards him. Bakugo must have been weightless as well.

"Uraraka-chan? Kacchan?" He spoke mostly to himself. Had so many of his friends really come to rescue him?

"Close your eyes, dumbass!" Bakugo shouted as he landed a couple feet away, Uraraka sliding off of his back so he could throw the flash bang Yaoyorozu had created for them. He'd been against not using his own quirk to blind the villains, but while more or less weightless he'd use it only to make sure he wouldn't send himself flying away.

Uraraka took advantage of the distraction to make Izuku weightless as well, instructing him to get ready to fly as she quickly jumped back onto Bakugo's back and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Wait, how am I supposed to grab on when my arms—"

"Consider us even, Deku."

"Huh?"

Before he could protest Bakugo scooped Izuku up in one arm and used the other to create a massive explosion. In an instant the trio shot up into the sky and towards where Kirishima was ready to grab Bakugo's free hand.

"Midoriya, are you alright?" Iida questioned as they began to descend after taking on Uraraka's weight. "Your arms…"

"That was from the training camp," he assured. Unfortunately, his voice wavered as he took in what had just happened. His friends had come all the way out to Kamino Ward in the face of the League of Villains in order to rescue him. No doubt there would be consequences for their actions later. Despite that though, they had still come to save him.

"You guys," he stated warmly, "thank you."

The sincerity in his voice made Kirishima shed a manly tear. Uraraka looked like she wanted to say something, but it appeared by the hand she was using to cover her mouth that she was struggling not to throw up. Iida made a comment about their friendship being important to him; the Stain incident playing in his mind's eye. Bakugo just grunted something about the pros taking too damn long.

"Hey, Midoriya?"

"Yes, Kirishima-kun?"

"You don't have to answer, but, uh, why are you wearing a skirt?"

* * *

The conversation between Izuku and All Might had happened not too long after the hero's retirement. Surprisingly, at least to Izuku who had been so worried about his mentor's judgment, All Might hadn't been perturbed in the slightest.

 _"I'm sorry I didn't tell you before," Izuku apologized as he lied in his hospital bed. His arms were in new casts nearly healed; however, the knowledge that they were in danger of permanent damage after how far he'd pushed himself in the fight against Muscular was a constant thought. "I'd just been hiding the fact for so long it was easier not to mention it. I read stories on the internet of how badly some transgender people are treated, and after something I dealt with in middle school I just didn't want to have to worry about it happening at U.A. too."_

 _"My boy, there's no need to apologize. Nothing has changed. You're still Young Midoriya in my book," he assured with a smile. "You're also still my reckless successor who will one day become the next symbol of peace. After all, you're next."_

He'd spoken with Aizawa-sensei too, who reassured Izuku that Principal Nedzu knowing about him being transgender made it a non-issue. As long as the mammalian in charge of the new dormitory policy had a clause for students with specific preferences then the teacher wasn't worried.

 _"I am going to switch a couple rooms in the dorm layout around," he mentioned offhandedly. "I originally had you next to Mineta since you two are on well enough terms, not to mention that you are a good influence on him, but it might be better to put him as far away from the first floor as possible seeing as it will be a shared space for all of your classmates. How do you feel about being on a floor with Aoyama and Tokoyami?"_

 _"I'm fine with anything, Aizawa-sensei. We're getting our own rooms as it is, right? Mineta-kun wouldn't pull anything anyway."_

 _"Perhaps, but after his stunt back at the training camp I'd like to be safe. He'll be placed right between Iida, Shoji, and Sero."_

As for his classmates, it was much later that Izuku finally had the chance to talk to them. Of course Izuku had told Bakugo he could explain some things to Iida, Uraraka, Kirishima, Todoroki, and Yaoyorozu. His friends had seen him in Toga's clothes during the chaotic events of Kamino and at Kirishima questioning why the villains had dressed him as such it had been easier to pawn off the explanation on his childhood friend. Izuku had been too mentally and physically exhausted to bother with a silly excuse, and at the time he'd been more concerned about All Might fighting All For One to tell the true story.

As it was none of his classmates reacted badly to his admission. To be perfectly honest none of them save for Kaminari and Todoroki were even confused or shocked. They'd taken it in stride similarly to how Bakugo had all those years ago.

 _"My uncle is trans too," Jiro stated while Hagakure among a few others voiced their own support._

 _"Thanks for telling us, Midori!" Mina grinned._

 _Tsuyu trilled in agreement. "In a world of quirks being transgender isn't all that uncommon, ribbit. It means a lot that you'd trust us enough to tell us. People can be cruel, but if anyone gives you trouble they'll have to get through us first."_

 _"I knew there was a reason you struck me as cute when I first saw you!" Mineta bellowed in triumph. A glare from Uraraka, Sero, Iida, and Bakugo made him quickly add on: "I mean— you're still my friend, Midoriya! Even though I now find myself picturing you with boobs…"_

 _Izuku pretended to look away when Jiro stabbed the grape-haired student in the eyes. In doing so he noticed Todoroki staring at him seriously._

 _"Um, Todoroki-kun?" He asked, concerned. "Are you okay?"_

 _"I don't get it."_

 _"You don't get what?"_

 _Bakugo face-palmed._

 _"Not this shit again. You know what? You guys deal with the half-n-half idiot. I tried explaining this to him five times already and he still doesn't understand."_

 _Sato seemed confused._

 _"What doesn't he understand?"_

 _"That Izuku is transgender."_

 _Yaoyorozu turned to Todoroki surprised._

 _"You don't know what it is to be transgender, you mean?"_

 _The dual-haired teenager stared at the class's vice president blankly._

 _"Izuku is a male, right? How can he be transgender?"_

 _"Todoroki-kun, he's a transgender male." Uraraka restated._

 _"So he's male."_

 _"This is what I'm talking about," Bakugo fumed before retreating upstairs in a huff. As soon as he was out of ear shot Todoroki's mouth quirked up in a tiny smile._

 _Izuku squinted in disbelief. "Todoroki-kun, were you just messing with Kacchan?"_

 _"He kept treating me like I was a preschooler the other day, so I decided to act like one if only to rile him up. Anyway, Midoriya, you should know you are still my rival and I respect you sharing something so personal with us all. I think we both know how hard it is to speak when the past has a way of making us fear our own voices."_

 _"Wisely spoken," Iida agreed._

Izuku remembered those conversations with warmth in his chest. Now, sitting in the shared lounge surrounded by his friends and classmates, he could finally breathe easy.


End file.
